Supporting Women's Academic and Professional Participation through Maternity Protection Policies and Family-Friendly Campus Facilities

Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta recognises the importance of protecting maternity rights and supporting women's continued participation in higher education and professional life. The University acknowledges that pregnancy, childbirth, postnatal recovery, breastfeeding, and childcare responsibilities can affect women's ability to maintain academic and professional activities. Providing appropriate protections and facilities is therefore essential to creating an inclusive university environment.

During 2024–2025, the University operated within Indonesia's established maternity protection framework and developed campus facilities designed to support the needs of women with maternal and childcare responsibilities. These measures contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality by promoting women's well-being, supporting their continued participation, and reducing practical barriers associated with motherhood.

1. Establishing Maternity Protection through National Legislation

A central legal foundation for maternity protection at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta is Indonesian Law Number 4 of 2024 concerning Maternal and Child Welfare during the First Thousand Days of Life. The legislation strengthens protections for working mothers and recognises the importance of maternal health, postnatal recovery, breastfeeding, and childcare support.

Article 4 establishes the right of working mothers to maternity leave for at least the first three months, with an additional period of up to three months in medically certified special circumstances. The legislation also recognises the importance of appropriate facilities for maternal health and breastfeeding during working hours, along with access to childcare arrangements. Article 5 provides employment protection for mothers exercising their maternity-related rights, including safeguards against dismissal and provisions concerning remuneration. For civil servants and other public-sector personnel, Article 10 provides that the implementation of these rights is governed by the applicable civil service regulations.

As a state Islamic university, UIN Jakarta's employment arrangements for civil servants and government employees are subject to the relevant public-sector employment framework. These statutory protections provide an important foundation for supporting female academic and administrative personnel during pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal recovery.

2. Providing Maternity Leave for Female Civil Servants

The University's maternity protection framework for civil servant employees is supported by National Civil Service Agency Regulation Number 24 of 2017, as amended by Regulation Number 7 of 2021. These regulations establish procedures for granting leave to civil servants, including maternity leave.

Under the applicable civil service framework, eligible female civil servants are entitled to maternity leave for the birth of their first, second, or third child during their civil service employment. The standard maternity leave entitlement is three months, with applications submitted through the designated administrative procedure to the authorised official. The regulations also provide for continued remuneration during maternity leave in accordance with the applicable provisions.

Such arrangements are relevant to female lecturers and administrative personnel because they provide a formally recognised period for childbirth, recovery, and early childcare without requiring immediate return to normal professional duties. The regulations help establish continuity between maternity protection and women's participation in public-sector employment. Within the University, these legal provisions provide an institutional reference for administering maternity-related leave for eligible civil servant personnel.

3. Extending Maternity Protection to Government Employees under Contract

Maternity leave protection also extends to eligible Government Employees with Employment Agreements, known as PPPK. National Civil Service Agency Regulation Number 7 of 2022, specifically Articles 18 and 19, establishes maternity leave rights for qualifying PPPK employees. The regulation provides maternity leave of up to three months for eligible employees during their first three childbirths while holding PPPK status.

Employees must submit a written request through their immediate supervisor or an equivalent official for consideration and approval by the authorised leave-granting official. The regulation also establishes that PPPK employees continue receiving remuneration during maternity leave in accordance with applicable legislation. These provisions are important because maternity protection is not limited to permanent civil servants. By recognising maternity leave within different categories of government employment, Indonesia's regulatory framework supports greater continuity in women's professional participation. For eligible female personnel at UIN Jakarta, these regulations provide a formal basis for maternity-related leave and recovery.

4. Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers through Lactation Facilities

Maternity protection extends beyond the period of childbirth and maternity leave. Women returning to academic or professional activities may require appropriate facilities to continue breastfeeding or expressing breast milk while participating in university life. Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta has documented the provision of facilities responding to these needs.

On 16 May 2025, the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) officially reported the availability of a dedicated lactation room on the second floor of its faculty building. The facility is accessible to female lecturers, administrative personnel, and students who require breastfeeding or milk-expression support. The faculty explained that the lactation room helps mothers balance academic and employment responsibilities with infant feeding needs. It also recognised that suitable lactation facilities can reduce difficulties experienced by women returning to work or university activities after childbirth. The initiative was publicly linked to national healthcare regulations concerning appropriate breastfeeding facilities. The availability of a lactation room accessible to female students and employees provides direct evidence of maternity-related institutional support at UIN Jakarta during 2025.

This facility demonstrates the University's recognition that women's continued participation depends on practical support for maternal health and childcare responsibilities.

5. Developing Family-Friendly Support through Campus Daycare Facilities

UIN Jakarta also supports the creation of a more family-friendly academic environment through the development of childcare facilities. On 2 June 2024, the University's Center for Gender and Child Studies (PSGA), in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, officially inaugurated the University's first PSGA-supported daycare facility.

The inauguration was attended by University leadership, PSGA representatives, and the Faculty of Medicine. The daycare was introduced as a measure to support parents who must balance childcare responsibilities with their professional activities. University representatives highlighted the importance of providing practical support for women and families, recognising that childcare responsibilities can affect continued participation in employment. The facility represents a concrete institutional effort to respond to the needs of members of the University community with young children. Its development is relevant to maternity protection because accessible childcare can help mothers maintain involvement in professional and academic activities after childbirth.

The June 2024 inauguration provides documented evidence that the University developed childcare infrastructure as part of its commitment to a family-friendly and gender-responsive campus environment. Specific student eligibility, operating fees, and service coverage require confirmation through the facility's administrative records.

6. Supporting Students through Established Academic Leave Procedures

Women's maternity-related needs may also affect their ability to continue studies without interruption. UIN Jakarta maintains an established academic leave mechanism under its formal undergraduate academic regulations. Rector's Decree Number 1280 of 2024 concerning the Undergraduate Academic Guidelines establishes provisions allowing eligible students to apply for academic leave, subject to specified requirements and administrative approval. The guidelines describe the process for submitting applications through the faculty and University's academic administration.

This mechanism provides students with a formally recognised way to request temporary interruption of their academic activities. However, the reviewed provisions do not explicitly establish a separate maternity leave entitlement for pregnant students or new mothers. Accordingly, the academic leave framework should be understood as a general student-support mechanism rather than a verified maternity-specific student policy. The development of explicit maternity-related academic accommodations would further strengthen the University's ability to support female students during pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery.

7. Promoting Gender-Responsive Institutional Support

UIN Jakarta's maternity-related measures are supported by the broader institutional commitment to gender equality and inclusive academic participation. The Center for Gender and Child Studies provides an organisational platform for promoting gender-responsive initiatives and addressing challenges affecting women within the University community.

Through coordination with academic faculties, PSGA has contributed to the development of family-friendly facilities, including daycare provision. The availability of lactation facilities, together with the relevant national maternity leave regulations, illustrates complementary approaches to supporting women. Employment protections provide the legal framework for childbirth and recovery, while campus facilities address practical needs associated with returning to work or study. This combination is important because maternity protection should support women's ability to maintain their educational and professional engagement without overlooking maternal health and family responsibilities.

8. Institutional Contribution to SDG 5: Gender Equality

During the 2024–2025 reporting period, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta demonstrated identifiable measures supporting maternity protection and women's continued participation. The applicable national civil service regulations establish maternity leave rights and administrative procedures for eligible female employees.

Law Number 4 of 2024 strengthens the national framework for maternal and child welfare, including maternity-related employment protections and breastfeeding support. At the institutional level, the University inaugurated a daycare facility in June 2024 and documented a dedicated lactation room available to female students and staff in May 2025. These measures illustrate the importance placed on maternal welfare and family-friendly participation within the University environment.

Together, the applicable maternity protection regulations and documented campus facilities demonstrate a framework supporting women's participation during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and early childcare responsibilities. Through these measures, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 5 by promoting maternal well-being, supporting women's professional continuity, and developing a more inclusive university environment. Further documentation of University-level maternity leave procedures and explicit academic accommodations for pregnant students and new mothers would strengthen the evidence of comprehensive institutional implementation.

Source :
https://peraturan.go.id/files/uu-no-4-tahun-2024.pdf
https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/177987/peraturan-bkn-no-7-tahun-2021 
https://www.bkn.go.id/storage/2023/02/PerBKN-Nomor-7-Tahun-2022.pdf 
https://www.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/id/kolaborasi-psga-dan-fk-uin-jakarta-daycare-pertama-resmi-dibuka 
https://fisip.uinjkt.ac.id/id/ruang-laktasi-di-kampus-fisip-uin-jakarta 
https://asset.uinjkt.ac.id/uploads/TkyZgnBj/2024/09/sk-rektor-no-1280-ttg-pedoman-akademik-program-sarjana.pdf