Kazakhstan has proposed reducing the working day by one hour for parents.

The Kazakh parliament has proposed introducing a one-hour shorter workday for parents raising young children, Tengrinews.kz reports.

Details
The initiative was put forward by MP Karakat Abden at a plenary session of the Mazhilis during a discussion of amendments to the Labor Code.

"An extra hour a mother or father can spend with their child is an investment in their child's future, the stability of the family, the stability of society, and the ability of the parent to simply pick up the child from kindergarten on time. It allows them to devote more attention to their upbringing and health," she said.

According to her, she had previously raised this issue at the government level, but there was still no decision.

She asked authorized bodies and fellow deputies to take this issue into account during the second reading when working on the law.

About global experience
The deputy notes that many developed countries have long offered parents with young children shorter working hours, and this practice is recognized as effective and scientifically proven.

"This isn't seen as a bonus or a preference, but as part of the state strategy to strengthen families. This isn't about additional budget expenditures. It's about basic interchangeability, which can easily be regulated in labor legislation," Abden said.

MP Karakat Abden had previously proposed reducing working hours for women, drawing on the experience of Scandinavian countries, and extending paid maternity leave to two years.