The Tamil Nadu state government announced that women government employees having a third child will now receive 365 days of maternity leave [1].
This policy change removes a significant disparity in benefits for civil servants and aligns state law with judicial mandates regarding reproductive rights. By extending the leave, the government ensures that women are not penalized for having more than two children.
Human Resources Management Minister Sarathkumar said the decision in Chennai. Under the previous regulations, women employees were eligible for only 12 weeks of leave for a third child [2]. The new policy restores the benefit to 365 days [1], which matches the duration already provided for the first two children.
The move follows a May 2025 Supreme Court judgment [1]. That ruling established that maternity benefits cannot be denied to women based on the number of children they have [2].
While the government presents the move as a matter of women's rights, the decision arrives amid a broader regional debate. Discussions have centered on declining fertility rates and the challenges of an ageing population, factors that influence how the state manages its workforce and social services.
The TVK government's decision to implement these changes ensures that state employees can access the same level of care and recovery time regardless of their family size [3]. This alignment with the Supreme Court's directive effectively ends the practice of limiting long-term maternity leave to the first two births.
“Women government employees having a third child will now receive 365 days of maternity leave.”
This policy shift reflects a transition from population-control incentives to a rights-based approach to maternity. By aligning with the 2025 Supreme Court mandate, Tamil Nadu is removing systemic barriers that previously discouraged government employees from expanding their families, signaling a prioritization of maternal health and legal compliance over previous restrictive leave quotas.
