5.6.3. Maternity policy

The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) continues to implement its maternity policy to ensure the rights, health, and sustainable participation of women in the higher education environment. Based on Vietnamese legal regulations and internal welfare policies, UEH not only ensures maternity leave and social insurance benefits but also provides additional income support during maternity leave, reduces teaching and research quotas for female lecturers, and arranges flexible working hours for women raising children under 12 months old. In 2025, UEH processed maternity benefits for 08 female staff and 02 male staff who took leave when their wives gave birth. The university also maintained regular health check-ups, women’s healthcare, and expanded voluntary insurance. These policies help reduce financial burdens, support family care responsibilities, and create conditions for women to continue participating in teaching, research, management, and professional activities.

1. UEH’s maternity policy supports the sustainable participation of women

1.1. Legal basis, scope of application, and UEH’s commitment

UEH implements its maternity policy in accordance with Vietnamese law while maintaining internal welfare policies to support women during pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and their return to work. The policy not only ensures rights regarding leave time and social insurance but also focuses on maintaining income, adjusting professional obligations, and creating conditions for women to continue their career development after childbirth.

During the period 2022–2026, UEH has publicly disclosed its specific maternity policy and continued to maintain and implement it in 2025. The policy clearly defines legal rights, additional income support, teaching and research quota reductions, childcare time, and the process for handling maternity benefits. This information is publicly available on UEH’s information system, enabling staff to access and exercise their rights.

In 2025, UEH continued to implement the maternity policy based on legal regulations corresponding to the time the benefit arose. From July 1, 2025, the Social Insurance Law No. 41/2024/QH15 and Decree No. 158/2025/ND-CP became important legal bases for processing compulsory social insurance benefits. Additionally, UEH continues to publicly disclose human resource policies linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including policies supporting pregnant women, maternity leave, and childcare

Document / Policy	Content related to maternity benefits	Direct evidence source
Labor Code No. 45/2019/QH14	Article 137 on maternity protection for female employees; Article 139 on maternity leave; Article 140 on ensuring employment upon return after maternity leave.	Source: UEH Future page, Maternity policy  https://future.ueh.edu.vn/en/563-maternity-policy/
Welfare and income policy during maternity leave	UEH publicly discloses additional income support during maternity leave; reduction of teaching, research, and professional quotas; support for childcare time.	Source: UEH Future page, Maternity policy  https://future.ueh.edu.vn/en/563-maternity-policy/
UEH human resource policy linked to the 17 SDGs	Affirms maternity support, income, and leave time for caring for children under 12 months old within UEH’s welfare system.	Source: UEH English Portal, “The Implementation of Human Resource Policies Linked to the 17 SDGs in terms of Intellectual Contribution to Sustainable Development”
Guidelines for implementing maternity benefits	Publicly discloses instructions and answers regarding rights for staff.	Source: UEH Knowledge Hub, “Maternity Leave” section https://ueh.edu.vn/en/news/the-implementation-of-human-resource-policies-linked-to-the-17-sdgs-in-terms-of-intellectual-contribution-to-sustainable-development-73372
Social Insurance Law No. 41/2024/QH15	Regulates maternity benefits in compulsory social insurance, including subjects, conditions, leave duration, and benefit levels; effective from July 1, 2025.	Source: Government Portal, Law No. 41/2024/QH15
Decree No. 158/2025/ND-CP dated June 25, 2025	Guidelines for implementing certain contents on compulsory social insurance under the 2024 Social Insurance Law; effective from July 1, 2025.	Source: Government Portal, Decree 158/2025/ND-CP

UEH’s maternity policy is announced to apply to staff who sign direct contracts with the University and participate in compulsory social insurance at UEH, depending on the eligibility conditions for each benefit. The policy scope includes cases of pregnancy, childbirth, surrogacy, adoption, reproductive healthcare, and male staff whose wives give birth.

The policies aim to support women during pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, while combining legal benefits with specific welfare policies to help women maintain their jobs and develop their careers.

The maternity policy is publicly available, demonstrating the scope of application and benefits related to pregnant employees, childbirth, and childcare

Source: UEH Future page, Maternity policy section (November 9, 2025)https://future.ueh.edu.vn/en/563-maternity-policy/ 

1.2. Ensuring six months of maternity leave and social insurance benefits

UEH implements maternity leave and health recovery in accordance with Vietnamese law, ensuring women’s rights during pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare. According to Article 139 of the 2019 Labor Code, female employees giving birth are entitled to 06 months of maternity leave before and after childbirth, with prenatal leave not exceeding 02 months; in cases of twins or more, they are entitled to an additional 01 month for each child from the second child onward.

During maternity leave, female staff who meet the eligibility conditions receive social insurance benefits as prescribed. Benefits include prenatal check-up leave, leave for maternity complications, maternity leave, and post-natal recovery. UEH also implements maternity leave rights for male staff when their wives give birth, contributing to sharing family care responsibilities.

For cases arising from July 1, 2025, social insurance benefits are processed in accordance with the 2024 Social Insurance Law and corresponding guiding documents. In addition to ensuring leave time and social insurance benefits, UEH implements regulations on employment protection when employees return after maternity leave under Article 140 of the Labor Code.

The implementation of these rights helps female staff have time to care for their health before and after childbirth, stabilize family conditions, and continue participating in work after maternity leave.

Public regulations on maternity leave, social insurance benefits, and employment protection upon return to work.

Source: UEH Future Page, Maternity Policy;UEH English Portal, The Implementation of Human Resource Policies Linked to the 17 SDGs in terms of Intellectual Contribution to Sustainable Development
https://future.ueh.edu.vn/en/563-maternity-policy/ 

https://ueh.edu.vn/en/news/the-implementation-of-human-resource-policies-linked-to-the-17-sdgs-in-terms-of-intellectual-contribution-to-sustainable-development-73372 

1.3. UEH’s specific policies: Income support, professional quota reduction, and childcare time

In addition to implementing legal maternity rights, UEH maintains supplementary welfare policies to reduce the impact of maternity leave on women’s income and professional activities. The policies focus on three areas: additional income support, teaching and research quota reduction, and childcare time arrangement.

100% additional income support during maternity leave. According to UEH’s publicly disclosed policy, in addition to social insurance benefits, female staff on maternity leave receive 100% of UEH’s additional income according to internal regulations. For cases with less than 06 months of service at UEH, the benefit level is determined based on the average additional income of the months worked. The policy helps limit income interruption, reduce financial pressure, and support employees during childbirth and family care.

Reduction of teaching, research, and professional activity quotas. For female staff in teaching positions, UEH reduces research, teaching, and professional activity quotas corresponding to maternity leave time. This adjustment helps female lecturers avoid having to make up professional tasks during maternity leave, thereby supporting career progression and continued participation in teaching and research after childbirth.

Support for working hours for women raising children under 12 months old. UEH implements a regulation allowing female staff raising children under 12 months old to take 60 minutes off per working day with full pay. Employees can negotiate with unit leaders to arrange flexible leave time, suitable for childcare needs and actual workplace conditions. This leave time supports women in breastfeeding, expressing milk, storing milk, or resting, while facilitating a smoother return to work.

Additionally, according to Clause 2, Article 137 of the 2019 Labor Code, for female employees performing heavy, hazardous, or dangerous work or work adversely affecting reproductive and child-rearing functions, upon meeting the prescribed conditions, employees may be transferred to lighter, safer work or have their daily working hours reduced by 01 hour without reduction in salary and benefits. This regulation applies according to legal subjects and conditions, contributing to protecting women’s health during pregnancy and childcare.

Through combining income support, adjustment of professional obligations, and childcare time arrangements, UEH creates conditions for women to fulfill family responsibilities while maintaining participation in teaching, research, management, and career development.

Policies on 100% additional income support, teaching-research quota reduction, and 60-minute daily leave for raising children under 12 months old

Source: UEH Future Page, Maternity Policy;UEH English Portal, The Implementation of Human Resource Policies Linked to the 17 SDGs in terms of Intellectual Contribution to Sustainable Development
https://future.ueh.edu.vn/en/563-maternity-policy/ 

https://ueh.edu.vn/en/news/the-implementation-of-human-resource-policies-linked-to-the-17-sdgs-in-terms-of-intellectual-contribution-to-sustainable-development-73372 

1.4. Maternity benefit processing procedure at UEH

UEH has publicly disclosed the procedure for implementing maternity leave, clearly defining the responsibilities of staff and functional units.

The procedure consists of three main steps:

Step 1 – Maternity leave request: Before giving birth, the staff member submits a maternity leave request approved by the unit leader to the Human Resources and Organisation Development Department.

Step 2 – Completing post-birth documents: The staff member submits the birth certificate or birth registration extract and related documents as required.

Step 3 – Processing benefits: The Human Resources and Organisation Development Department coordinates with the Department of Finance and Investment Planning to process benefits according to regulations.

For special cases related to the health of the mother or child, recovery leave, or other arising situations, UEH publicly discloses instructions on appropriate documents and paperwork for consideration and resolution of benefits.

This procedure helps staff proactively prepare documents, access policies, and exercise maternity rights. At the same time, public disclosure of instructions facilitates female staff in completing maternity leave procedures and returning to work after maternity leave.

Guidelines on maternity leave procedures

Source: UEH Future page, Maternity Policy section
https://future.ueh.edu.vn/en/563-maternity-policy/ 

1.5. UEH continues to implement welfare policies, childcare support, and reproductive healthcare for women

In 2025, UEH continued to review salary and welfare policies on the principles of fairness, openness, transparency, and ensuring the rights of staff. The University organizes annual staff conferences to gather feedback and adjust the Internal Expenditure Regulations, creating a mechanism for employees to participate in the process of building and improving policies related to income and welfare.

Additionally, UEH implements policies to support female staff raising young children, including arranging milk expression and storage areas at the workplace, facilitating continued breastfeeding after returning to work. The University also adds gynecological specialist examinations to the regular health check-up program for women, combining insurance and healthcare benefits to support women during important life stages.

Rest areas equipped with standard milk expression and storage areas to support female staff

The combination of welfare policies, reproductive healthcare, and workplace support helps reduce family care pressure while creating conditions for women to maintain their jobs and continue performing professional tasks after maternity leave.

2. Results of implementing maternity and healthcare policies in 2025

In 2025, UEH continued to implement maternity policies in accordance with legal regulations and the University’s welfare benefits, while focusing on healthcare, maintaining income, and supporting working conditions for staff. Specifically, UEH processed maternity benefits for 08 female staff on maternity leave and 02 male staff on leave when their wives gave birth.

Along with processing maternity benefits, UEH maintained policies on additional income support, teaching-research quota reduction, and leave time for childcare under 12 months old. The University also organized regular health check-ups for staff; female staff were scheduled for two health check-ups per year, including gynecological specialist examinations. UEH also implemented voluntary insurance policies and supported expanded insurance for dependents with needs.

These activities contribute to ensuring rights, healthcare, and creating conditions for women to maintain participation in the workplace and academic environment.

2.1. Summary table of policies and actual activities in 2025

Policy / Activity	Scope of implementation	Beneficiaries	Implementation content	Results – Impact
1. Implement maternity leave policy for female staff	Entire UEH, according to policy scope	Eligible female staff	Process maternity leave, implement social insurance rights, and corresponding maternity support according to law.	08 cases of female staff processed for maternity benefits in 2025, demonstrating the policy is applied in practice. Source: UEH 2025 HR Report provided by the University.
2. Implement maternity benefits for male staff when wives give birth	Entire UEH	Eligible male staff	Implement leave benefits according to regulations for fathers when wives give birth, supporting shared family responsibilities.	02 cases of male staff processed in 2025. Source: UEH 2025 HR Report.
3. Income support during maternity leave	Entire UEH, according to applicable subjects and conditions	Female staff on maternity leave	In addition to social insurance benefits, UEH publicly discloses a policy of 100% additional income support according to internal regulations.	Social security support and limitation of income interruption during maternity leave.
4. Reduction of teaching, research, and professional activity quotas during maternity leave	Units with female teaching staff	Female lecturers on maternity leave	Reduce professional quotas corresponding to maternity leave time.	Support female lecturers in maintaining professional activities and avoiding accumulation of professional obligations during maternity leave.
5. Support for working hours for women raising children under 12 months old	Entire UEH, according to applicable conditions	Female staff raising children under 12 months	60 minutes off per working day with full pay; flexible leave schedule negotiated with unit leaders.	Contributes to supporting women’s return to work, balancing childcare responsibilities and professional tasks.
6. Regular health check-ups for staff	Entire UEH	All staff	Organize annual regular health check-ups, support monitoring and protection of staff health.	Maintain healthcare for all staff according to the 2025 report.
7. Enhanced healthcare for female staff	Entire UEH	Female staff	Arrange two health check-ups per year to support screening and healthcare, adding gynecological specialist examinations to the regular health check-up package.	Maintain healthcare frequency for female staff, while increasing access to reproductive healthcare.
8. Voluntary insurance and expanded welfare for employees	Entire UEH	Staff and dependents with needs	Organize voluntary insurance purchase for staff, support expanded insurance benefits for dependents.	Contributes to supplementing social security and financial support for employees’ families.
9. Public disclosure of maternity guidelines at UEH Knowledge Hub	UEH staff support system	Staff needing to look up policies	Provide guidance on maternity benefits, additional income, leave benefits, and rights related to Trade Union emulation and rewards.	Create public channels for employees to look up and access policies.
10. UEH Trade Union recognizes maternity leave time in emulation and rewards	UEH Trade Union work	Female Trade Union members on maternity leave	Publicly disclose that maternity leave time is counted as working time for considering Trade Union emulation and reward titles according to Decision 999/QD-TLD dated May 29, 2024.	Contributes to ensuring that maternity leave does not lose working time recognized in Trade Union rewards.
11. Review of salary and welfare policies	Entire UEH	Staff, including women	Continue to review welfare policies; gather feedback to adjust annual Internal Expenditure Regulations.	Mechanism for policy feedback. https://ueh.edu.vn/en/news/the-implementation-of-human-resource-policies-linked-to-the-17-sdgs-in-terms-of-intellectual-contribution-to-sustainable-development-73372
12. Continue public disclosure of maternity support policies	Entire UEH	Female staff on maternity leave, raising young children	Implement 100% salary and additional income during maternity leave; 60 minutes/day leave when raising children under 12 months old.	Support income and conditions for continued work after childbirth.
13. Arrange milk expression and storage rooms at the workplace	UEH campuses with arranged rooms	Female staff breastfeeding	Arrange standard milk expression and storage rooms, supporting continued breastfeeding after returning to work.	Support work-life balance and childcare.
14. Trade Union monitors implementation of labor rights and welfare	UEH Trade Union	Union members, staff	Consult on benefits, monitor policies, and support resolution of recommendations and feedback.	Supplement mechanism to ensure rights when implementing maternity policies.

2.2. Impact of maternity policy on women’s participation

UEH’s maternity policies contribute to supporting the sustainable participation of women in the higher education environment in three aspects:

Ensuring social security and rights during childbirth. The implementation of six months of maternity leave and social insurance benefits, combined with UEH’s additional income support policy, helps limit financial interruption and creates conditions for women to care for their health, recover after childbirth, and fulfill family responsibilities.

Supporting the maintenance of academic careers and professional work. The policy of reducing teaching, research, and professional activity quotas corresponding to maternity leave time helps female lecturers continue performing professional tasks after maternity leave without having to accumulate professional obligations during leave. Additionally, the right to 60 minutes off per day when raising children under 12 months old and the flexible time arrangement mechanism support the return-to-work process.

Promoting shared family responsibilities and long-term healthcare. Processing maternity benefits for both female and male staff, combined with regular health check-ups, reproductive healthcare, and voluntary insurance policies, contributes to building a family-supportive work environment, ensuring rights, and encouraging women’s participation.

The 2025 implementation results demonstrate that the maternity policy continues to be applied by UEH in practice, while consolidating conditions to support women in maintaining their jobs and developing their careers.

3. Comparison of maternity policy implementation results in 2024 and 2025

4. Conclusion

In 2025, UEH continued to implement its maternity policy towards ensuring rights, healthcare, and supporting the sustainable participation of women in the workplace and academic environment. Through the full implementation of social insurance benefits and the maintenance of internal welfare mechanisms regarding additional income, reduction of teaching-research quotas, and flexible childcare time arrangements, UEH creates conditions for female staff to fulfill family responsibilities while maintaining career development opportunities.

The processing of maternity benefits for 08 female and 02 male staff in 2025, combined with regular healthcare policies and expanded insurance, continues to demonstrate UEH’s efforts in ensuring social security and supporting employees’ families.

Compared to 2024, UEH continues to maintain the maternity policy foundation, update the legal basis applied in 2025, and supplement implementation result data. The policy not only aims to ensure maternity leave benefits but also contributes to maintaining income, reducing professional interruption, and creating conditions for women to continue participating in teaching, research, management, and career development.

Through the combination of maternity policy, income support, adjustment of professional obligations, childcare conditions, and workplace implementation mechanisms, UEH continues to promote a higher education environment that cares for women, ensures career opportunities, and supports gender equality, contributing to SDG 5 – Gender Equality.