From PBS NewsHour.
Increased maternity benefits are coming to women’s professional tennis, thanks to a Saudi state-owned wealth fund.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced this week that pregnant players on the tour can now receive paid maternity leave for up to 12 months. Players who become parents via means that include partner pregnancy, surrogacy and adoption are eligible for up to two months of paid paternity leave.
Under the new program, grants for egg and embryo freezing and in vitro fertilization, or IVF, are also available for players.
The WTA said that more than 320 players are eligible for the benefits.
The WTA called the program “a first-of-its-kind initiative, representing the only maternity program in women’s sport to be fully funded and supported by an external partner,” the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Yet, critics – including Hall of Famers Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova – have argued against the Saudi fund becoming a global WTA partner, given Saudi Arabia’s repressive record on women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights.
Amna Nawaz has more.
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