How women in Armenia balance family care, childcare and careers
Childcare and career in Armenia
In recent years, many countries have seen a growing trend of strengthening family ties, encouraging marriage, and supporting couples raising children. To that end, both public and private institutions have started creating favorable working conditions for employees with families. Well-designed, practical steps have had a real impact on the quality of life for couples in such workplaces—especially women, who are better able to balance family care, childcare, and career advancement.
In Armenia, there is a growing recognition of the need for such conditions, along with the first steps toward implementing them. Adapting workplaces and schedules to meet the needs of women is being discussed by NGOs, on social media, and in various companies.
Men are less involved in these discussions. The prevailing view among many is still that women should bear the primary responsibility for children and family care. While Armenia’s legislation now allows fathers to take paid parental leave, very few men have taken advantage of it.
Meanwhile, women are increasingly demanding better working conditions that would allow them to balance child-rearing responsibilities with professional growth.
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Story of a woman who fought for her rights
Anna says she was only offered family-friendly work conditions after the birth of her third child. Her previous employers refused to let her work from home or balance her job responsibilities with motherhood, which meant she had to hire a nanny.
“I went back to the office when my first baby was just five months old,” she recalls. “And I returned on the same full schedule as everyone else. I gave half my salary to the nanny and felt terribly guilty for leaving my child. But I couldn’t afford to stay at home for two years.”
With her second child, her employer agreed to let her leave work an hour earlier—but that wasn’t enough:
“That hour didn’t solve anything. I had to fight for my rights until they finally allowed me to breastfeed at work. The nanny would bring the baby to the office, and I’d find an empty room to feed him. I was able to keep breastfeeding for a year and a half.”
When she had her third child, Anna started working for an international organization, where things were different. They offered her remote work right after paid maternity leave until her baby turned six months. After that, she worked in a hybrid model—half the day from home, half in the office.
“Sometimes during the day, when I missed my baby, the nanny would bring him to work. I’d hold him, feed him, and try not to disturb my colleagues. The most important thing was that I felt calmer—and more productive,” Anna says.
After Anna left her previous job, other employees began speaking up about the need to create family-friendly working conditions.
They started requesting time off to attend parent-teacher meetings, take their children to medical appointments, or bring them to the office after school if needed.
“Even women didn’t support me back then,” Anna recalls. *”But now everyone is more assertive. People are starting to think about a healthier work-life balance. I’m glad change is happening, even if slowly.
Women are now raising these issues during job interviews and working out agreements with employers before signing their contracts.”
How to create family-friendly work environments
Astghik Karapetyan is the head of the human rights and information NGO “Point 33,” which promotes and helps establish family-friendly working conditions for employees with families.
The organization’s experts conduct research, identify challenges, and develop policy recommendations, which they submit to government offices and members of parliament. They also raise awareness among local businesses and provide legal consultations.
“As a result of our work, both state institutions and society are becoming more aware of the importance of family-oriented policies, and employers are showing a growing interest in cooperation and adopting such approaches,” says the head of the newly established organization.
Astghik notes that several amendments to Armenian legislation have been made in part thanks to their efforts.
“For example,” Astghik explains, “previously, breastfeeding mothers were entitled to a 30-minute break every three hours until the child turned 1.5 years old. Now, women with children under the age of 2 are granted an additional break, and they can combine these breaks. That means they can either start work an hour later or finish earlier. Alternatively, they can take an extra one-hour break during the workday.”
Regarding the availability of a breastfeeding room, the NGO head notes that Armenia’s Labour Code does mention such a provision, but it is not mandatory. The absence of a designated room for breastfeeding is not considered a legal violation.
“This is a reasonable approach. The state shouldn’t pressure employers by placing such a burden on them. At the same time, best practices show that encouraging breastfeeding requires certain mandatory standards. For example, if an employer lacks the financial resources or the office space to create a breastfeeding room, remote work should be offered as an alternative.”
She adds that in Armenia, only a small number of companies go beyond the legal requirements to offer additional benefits that help create truly family-friendly work environments.
“We speak more often about parents—especially mothers—because they are the ones who most frequently drop out of the labour market, face income loss, and are forced to give up promising careers,” Astghik explains.
According to the organization, a workplace can be considered family-friendly if it provides:
- Flexible working arrangements (remote work, reduced hours, etc.),
- Paid leave (maternity and paternity leave),
- Childcare support (access to a nanny, kindergarten, or breastfeeding support).
Some of these conditions are already included in Armenian legislation and state programmes. For instance, the law guarantees paid leave, part-time work, and additional breaks for mothers of children under two years old.
However, according to Astghik Karapetyan, some employers are already taking the initiative to offer additional benefits to their staff:
“For example, one employer we worked with hired a nanny for an employee’s baby and set up a playroom for staff children right in the office.”
Point 33 also studies the experience of countries where employers take a more thoughtful, sensitive approach to supporting families.
“This matters because such organisations are first and foremost building a strong reputation. PR and marketing professionals use that fact in their messaging. These companies gain a competitive advantage and are better able to attract and retain top talent.”
Astghik Karapetyan also stresses the importance of the state’s role in setting standards through legislative regulation:
“The government, through its various institutions, is itself an employer. Its approach to these issues sets a powerful example. And the fact that Armenia’s National Assembly doesn’t have a single room for breastfeeding speaks volumes.”
