Tajikistan has officially canceled paid paternity leave for men following the birth of a child, according to the country’s Agency for Social Insurance and Pensions. While fathers are no longer entitled to state-funded childcare benefits, they can still request unpaid leave to care for their newborns.
The policy change stems from the removal of Article 224 from Tajikistan’s Labor Code, which previously allowed fathers to receive childcare benefits if the mother was unemployed. The agency did not specify when this legislative amendment was introduced.
Officials explained the change as an effort to align the Labor Code with Tajikistan’s primary legislation on social benefits—the Law on State Social Insurance.
No paid leave, but some rights remain
According to the Labor Code, paid social leave is granted for specific circumstances: maternity, childcare, study, and creative work. The agency emphasized that maternity and childbirth leave, along with the associated benefits, apply solely to women due to their biological role in childbirth.
Men are, however, permitted to take unpaid leave to care for their child or, with employer approval, use their annual paid leave following the birth.
Currently, childbirth benefits are paid at the workplace of either parent. If both parents are unemployed or not enrolled in education, benefits are distributed through the Ministry of Labor’s social protection offices.
“Men rarely used the right to paternity leave”
Under the original Labor Code adopted in 1997, men were allowed to take paternity leave during or after their partner’s pregnancy. But according to sociologist and gender consultant Margarita Khegay, this right was rarely exercised due to strong cultural norms.
“In Tajikistan, men technically had the right to paternity leave, but in practice, they almost never used it,” Khegay told Asia-Plus. “Traditional gender roles and societal pressure discouraged men from assuming childcare duties. There was also a lack of awareness and cultural support.”
She emphasized the importance of shifting societal perceptions to promote shared parental responsibility. Khegay argued that more involvement from men in early childcare could foster gender equality and support working women—especially in households where women earn more.
Khegay also noted the absence of official statistics on male uptake of childcare leave and said she had never encountered a single documented case of a Tajik man taking such leave.
What about women?
The agency also clarified the maternity rights afforded to women. According to a 2014 government resolution, women are entitled to:
- 140 calendar days of maternity leave;
- 156 days for complicated deliveries;
- 180 days for the birth of twins or more.
These periods cover both maternity and childcare leave up to the child’s third birthday. Benefits are paid in a lump sum, regardless of how long the woman stays on leave.
Employers may deny maternity leave only under specific legal conditions—such as if the woman was unemployed, suspended from duty, already on childcare leave, or returned to work early. Any other refusal can be appealed to the Social Insurance Agency.
Childbirth benefit amounts
The one-time state benefit for childbirth is calculated as follows:
· First child: 225 somonis (3 calculation indicators, or estimates)
· Second child: 150 somonis
· Third and subsequent children: 75 somonis
In the case of multiple births, the benefit is paid per child. If the child is stillborn, no benefit is provided.
All benefits for working parents (insured individuals) are administered by Tajikistan’s Agency for Social Insurance and Pensions.
