Law No. 14,457/2022 has established the Employ + Women Program (Emprega + Mulheres Programa), including measures that expand existing programs to facilitate the employment of women and strengthen protections for women in the workforce. The program enhances a reimbursement option for the employer-daycare mandate and a more flexible working regime for working mothers with young children, support for pursuing external employment qualification programs for women, an extension of maternity leave under the Corporate Citizenship Program (Programa Empresa Cidadã – PEC), and measures to prevent and combat sexual harassment and other forms of violence in the workplace. Most of the changes took effect September 22, 2022.
The law provides a variety of options for employers to consider as means of support for working women and working families in general with young children. The new law also created the Emprega + Mulheres label, awarded to companies that meet the required standards, that can be used for hiring, branding and marketing to promote the company as a preferred employer.