ISIDORA CIRIC (ABU DHABI)

Five days of paid leave for every new father, written into federal law, made the UAE the first country in the region to place fatherhood within public policy and organisational performance, rather than leaving each family to negotiate it behind closed doors.

Abu Dhabi has since doubled paternity leave for government employees, while the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) is using the Parent-friendly Label to test whether workplace policy gives fathers a genuine chance to be present at home.

"Fatherhood in the UAE is no longer defined by provision alone. It is increasingly shaped by presence, participation, and partnership in raising the next generation," Fatmah Rashed Alkaabi, Acting Advisor at the Director General's Office at ECA, told Aletihad.

She explained that active fatherhood also feeds into the country's long-term human capital goals, as children raised with consistent support at home are better placed to develop academically, socially, and emotionally.

“Supporting parents is therefore not only a social responsibility, but also a business imperative and a strategic driver of long-term economic competitiveness.”

A Right, Not a Favour

A father reading to his child may appear to be carrying out one of family life's smallest rituals, yet 76% of fathers surveyed by the ECA said it strengthened the bond with their children.

Around that intimate exchange, the UAE is constructing something much larger: a system of leave rights, workplace assessments, flexible employment policies, and family services designed to give fathers the time and permission to be present.

First came the Federal Decree-Law No. 6 of 2020, which mandated that all private-sector employees in the UAE have the right to five paid working days of parental leave, with no minimum length of service.

When the UAE overhauled its entire labour framework with Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, the five-day parental leave benefit was carried over and officially integrated into Article 32 of the new law.

The entitlement runs to both parents, and can be used at any point in a child's first six months. The federal government extended the same five days to its own male employees in 2022.

Abu Dhabi's Human Resources Law, which took effect on January 1, 2026, widened the framework for government employees through flexible family provisions, including doubled paternity leave and extended maternity support. The legislation covers a public workforce of over 25,000 people and treats work-life balance as part of the government's ability to recruit and retain staff.

The Parent-friendly Label (PFL), launched by ECA in 2021 and rolled out across the UAE a year later, builds on the five-day federal entitlement by examining whether fathers can use the policies on paper without concern over how managers or colleagues will respond.

According to Dr Yousef Al Hammadi, Executive Director of the Knowledge and Impact Sector at the ECA, that expansion is guided by the priorities of the Year of the Family 2026 and the Family Growth Agenda 2031.

“Together, these efforts are enabling fathers and mothers to spend more meaningful time with their children while continuing to thrive professionally,” Dr Al Hammadi told Aletihad.

“At ECA, we believe that supporting fathers is not simply about providing benefits, but about fostering a culture where presence, caregiving, and shared responsibility are recognised as essential contributors to children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development.”

The Workplace Test

A generous policy can remain largely cosmetic when employees believe using it will damage their standing. The PFL addresses that gap by combining written evidence with employee experience, requiring applicants to circulate a staff survey as part of the assessment.

The label assesses companies across five categories: parental leave, flexible working, family care, family wellbeing, and workplace culture and innovation. Employers exceeding UAE requirements can receive the Parent-friendly Label, while those meeting or exceeding international standards qualify for PFL+.

By the third cycle, the programme’s practices covered 163,000 employees and 105,000 working parents in the UAE, part of more than a million people reached worldwide.

According to Alkaabi, the comprehensive, independent audits pull employers well past the legal minimum.

“The most impactful policies are those that move beyond compliance and genuinely enable fathers to participate in family life,” Alkaabi said.

“We have seen organisations introduce highly progressive measures, including up to 45 days of paid paternity leave, flexible parental leave that can be taken before or after a child's birth, caregiver leave for family emergencies, and flexible work arrangements that support fathers during key family milestones.”

In Cycle 3, 74% of fathers said managers had encouraged them to take paternity leave and 73% said the same of their colleagues, the sort of permission that often counts for more than the policy on paper.

The PFL’s impact report also revealed that 73% of fathers and 67% of mothers experienced improved daily productivity in parent-friendly workplaces, while 68% of employees said that the benefits influenced their decision to remain with their employer.

“One of the most encouraging shifts is that organisations are increasingly viewing parent-friendly policies as a strategic investment rather than an employee benefit,” Alkaabi said.

“Perhaps most importantly, organisations are moving from flexibility to being manager-dependent to becoming a formalised workplace right.”

Infrastructure Around the Father

Around 90% of a child's brain develops before the age of five, Alkaabi said, with active father involvement linked to stronger cognitive, emotional, and social development during those early years.

Father's leave therefore sits at the meeting point between labour policy and early childhood policy: the employment decision determines who is available during the period when daily interaction carries outsized developmental value.

“Just as every tree needs strong roots, every child needs a strong start in life. This belief is grounded in evidence,” Dr Al Hammadi added.

The label is one part of a wider set of tools that includes the authority's Parents' Platform and a Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting programme aimed at the daily mechanics of raising young children.

The ECA also conducts research in partnership with NYU Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates University, the University of Sharjah, and the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, which engaged over 700 fathers, mothers, children and professionals.

"What we have learned is inspiring: 93.6% of parents believe mothers and fathers should be equally involved in raising children," Dr Al Hammadi said.

He added that first-time Emirati fathers, who are 29 years old on average, are choosing to be more present than the previous generation, while 76% said that even a simple activity such as reading with their child strengthened their bond.

“Together, these studies confirm a powerful truth: the Emirati father of today is an emotionally engaged co-nurturer, a teacher, and an architect of his child’s wellbeing.”

The PFL's fourth cycle is trying to expand that philosophy into a wider part of the public sector, with ECA and the Ministry of Family running a pilot to adapt the criteria for government workplaces.

Applications from eligible semi-government, private and third-sector organisations remain open until July 31, 2026.

“There has never been a more important moment to strengthen family-focused workplace cultures,” Alkaabi said, encouraging organisations to apply.

“It is an opportunity to be part of a national movement shaping the future of work in the UAE.”