Under Malaysian law women are entitled to 60 days’ paid maternity leave for each birth. If you work for a multinational company, you may find your entitlement differs and you should check your contract. It’s possible to negotiate additional unpaid leave, but employers are not obliged to agree to this.

If, during your maternity leave, you decide not to return to work, you may be asked to repay some or all of the maternity pay to your employer. Individual companies differ in their approach to this; you should consult your HR department to find out the policy at your company.

At the moment, there’s no formal entitlement to paternity leave in Malaysia, but employers will normally allow a few days of compassionate leave.