Resources on maternity protection

  1. © Unplash 2022
    Over 2 million moms left the labour force in 2020 according to new global estimates

    08 March 2022

    New global data covering 189 countries and territories expose the motherhood penalty faced by millions of women around the world in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  2. © U.S. National Archives 2022
    All women are working women

    01 October 2020

    Twenty-five years on from the landmark Beijing Women’s Conference, aspirations for a gender equal world still need to be achieved. The ILO’s first female Deputy Director-General, Mary Chinery-Hesse, who led the ILO delegation to Beijing, reflects on the Conference and what still needs to be done.

  3. Improving breastfeeding facilities benefits workers, their babies and business

    01 August 2019

    A worker-management committee has helped improve facilities for new mothers in one of Indonesia’s leading garment factories, while boosting productivity.

  4. © Better Work 2022
    Protecting pregnant workers’ rights in Lesotho

    17 September 2015

    How the Better Work Programme of the ILO and the International Finance Cooperation (IFC) promotes decent work for young women in Lesotho’s garment industry.

  5. © S.Jensen /GAVI ALLIANCE /AFP 2022
    Maternity leave: Women's survival vs. family responsibilities in Rwanda

    22 October 2014

    Most women make a choice between their own survival and family responsibilities. This is where the ILO Convention on maternity protection comes in.

  6. © Richard Lewisohn/Image Source 2022
    Maternity protection: Good for workers, good for small businesses

    20 October 2014

    Maternity protection and work-family measures can generate positive outcomes for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), says ILO Specialist Laura Addati.

  7. Women at work – where we are, where we want to be

    08 March 2014

    To mark International Women’s Day, the ILO reflects on the progress that has been made and what still needs to be done to achieve gender equality in the workplace. Follow two women, an Indian CEO and a US school teacher, whose experiences shed an interesting light on the common challenges facing women across the globe.

  8. © A. Ross/Brand X/Jupiterimages 2022
    Breastfeeding in the workplace: Good for the mother, child, business and society

    05 August 2013

    On the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7), the ILO maternity protection specialist, Laura Addati, explains why breastfeeding in the workplace makes good sense for all parties concerned.

  9. Maternity protection: Not just a personal issue

    23 November 2012

    Many countries have ratified ILO conventions on maternity protection, but pregnant women still face workplace discrimination. Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25), the ILO publishes guidelines on how to implement maternity protection policies.

  10. Questions and answers about maternity at work

    23 June 2010

    Maternity protection has been a primary concern of the ILO since its creation, in 1919, when the first International Labour Conference adopted the first Maternity Protection Convention No. 3. A new publication on the state of maternity protection in the world has just been released by the ILO. Interview with Manuela Tomei, Director of the ILO Conditions of Work and Employment Programme, about achievements made and persisting challenges for maternity protection, including the impact of the current economic and employment crises.