Sakarya University (SAU) maintains clear, legally grounded maternity and paternity policies aligned with Türkiye’s Civil Servants Law No. 657 and operationalized through the University’s Human Resources (HR) framework.
According to Law No. 657, all public employees—including those at Sakarya University—are entitled to comprehensive maternity and paternity benefits. Female employees have the right to paid maternity leave before and after childbirth (16 weeks total), followed by the option of up to two years of unpaid leave to care for their child. During the child’s first year, mothers are granted daily breastfeeding breaks—three hours per day for the first six months and one and a half hours per day for the following six months—with full flexibility regarding scheduling. Male employees are entitled to 10 days of paid paternity leave after the birth of a child.
These provisions are detailed in SAU’s HR Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, which serves as the institutional guide for implementing national parental rights. The FAQ explains how Article 104 (maternity, paternity, breastfeeding leave) and Article 108 (unpaid parental leave) of Law No. 657 are applied across campus, ensuring that staff can access maternity, paternity, and family-related benefits transparently and equitably.
At the national level, these rights are anchored in Article 104 of the Civil Servants Law, publicly accessible through both the Ministry of Family and Social Services website and verified comparative legal repositories (Lexpera). Sakarya University complements this legal framework through its Gender Equality governance structure, which affirms the university’s institutional commitment to work–life balance, equal opportunity, and support for parenting responsibilities.
Beyond policy, the University actively promoted family well-being and parental awareness throughout 2024. Practice-level examples include: the TOKAS (Social Contribution and Sustainability Office) seminar on “Family Structure Protection and Strengthening” (16 May 2024), emphasizing family resilience and communication; the In-Service Training (HİEĞİTİM) Unit’s 2024 list, which included “Marriage and Family Life” training modules; and the “Family Issues” training session (14 October 2024), designed to enhance family communication and support mechanisms within the university community.
In addition, SAÜSEM (Continuing Education Center) provided certified programs that indirectly reinforce a parent-supportive ecosystem—such as 4–6 Age Child Education and Activities and Values Education Instructor Training—which align with early childhood development and family values education.
Together, these legal entitlements, HR practices, and educational initiatives demonstrate that Sakarya University’s maternity and paternity policies were codified, implemented, and complemented by family-oriented institutional culture in 2024.
