Regulatory Impact Assessment of OLO C183-Maternity Protection Convention

The ILO Maternity Protection Convention is the most contemporary international labour standard that establishes a minimum duration for maternity leave, a minimum amount for benefits, the obligation to secure healthy working conditions for pregnant and breastfeeding women, the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of maternity, and thedetails of providing supplementary daily work breaks for breastfeeding women. The Convention concerns all employed women, including self-employed women and those in atypical forms of dependent work (which also includes hidden work without a written employment contract). So far, the Convention has been ratified by 39 ILO member countries. The core research techniques included a desk review, as well as a secondary data analysis withidentification of the associated qualitative and quantitative data. The state response to issues highlighted by ILO Convention 183 were assessed via analysis of domestic socioeconomic policies, action plans, budgets and state programs. Supporting evidence was collected through a desk review of previously conducted qualitative and quantitative research, associated analytical papers, statistical data and other related materials. The scarcity ofevidence was offset by three focus group discussions (FGD) conducted with target groups (women and men separately) and their employers.

Human Rights Research Center, UN Women, Yerevan, Armenia, 2022