The WTA has announced a significant maternity leave program for its female athletes, offering 12 months of paid leave for pregnant players, and two months for new parents through partner pregnancy, surrogacy or adoption. Sponsored by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, this initiative marks a historic first in women's sports for providing comprehensive maternity benefits to independent athletes. The program also includes grants for fertility treatments, and it reflects the broader movement in women's sports to meet parental and maternity needs as more female athletes balance careers with motherhood.
"Independent contractors and self-employed individuals don't typically have these kinds of maternity benefits provided and available to them. They have to go out and sort of figure out those benefits for themselves," WTA CEO Portia Archer said.
"This is really sort of novel and groundbreaking."
"It's part of a wider trend: As women's sports rise, there is an emphasis on meeting maternity and parental needs."
"That's certainly one of the aims of the program: to ensure lower-ranked or lower-earning athletes can take the time they need without worrying about income."
Collection
[
|
...
]