Kazakhstan Plans to Limit Child-Care Payments to Mothers, Analyst Warns

Kazakhstan is reforming its social support system from 1 January 2027, making benefits more targeted and checking recipients against eligibility conditions. One planned change would exclude men from receiving child-care allowances and social payments until the child turns 1.5 years old. The Ministry of Labour has previously said these payments can be granted only to mothers, while fathers may take child-care leave without cash payments.

Independent financial analyst Andrei Chebotarev, writing on the Finance.kz Telegram channel, said the change would create sex-based discrimination and could cause financial difficulties for women and families. Under the conditions in force for 2026, men can receive these payments and families decide which parent stays home. The analyst argued that if the allowance is tied only to the mother, employers may see women of childbearing age as risky hires, making it harder for them to find work.

Chebotarev also noted that over the past 20 years the global trend has been to give fathers paid leave so that parental risk is shared. “A measure that publicly deprives fathers of the right to paid childcare goes against the global trend,” he said, adding that Kazakhstan is moving against the current and sending an interesting signal to investors.