After repeated calls for more support for women and their partners who experience miscarriage, parents who go through pregnancy loss before 24 weeks will be entitled to bereavement leave under new workers’ rights reforms.

The change means that mothers and partners in England, Wales and Scotland will be granted two weeks of bereavement leave if they experience miscarriage or stillbirth before 24 weeks’ gestation, according to reports from The Guardian.

Previously, women who lost a baby before 24 weeks were not entitled to any statutory leave unless a doctor agreed to sign them off from work. In reality, this meant that unless they obtained a note from their doctor, they could discover their baby had died halfway through pregnancy and still be expected to be at their desk by their employer. 

While many employers offer bereavement leave as a discretionary benefit, calls for it to become a universal right have been ongoing from groups such as The Women and Equalities Commission. Parents already have a right to bereavement leave if they lose a child or suffer a stillbirth after 24 weeks. 

The change is part of a series of wide-ranging Labour updates to the Employment Rights Bill, which will implement a series of flagship workers’ rights reforms in England, Wales and Scotland. The reforms, including the changes to miscarriage bereavement leave, are set to go through their final discussions in the Commons next week.

Half of adults in the UK said that they, or someone they know, had experienced pregnancy or baby loss, according to figures from the pregnancy and baby charity Tommy’s. Most miscarriages happen in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, with estimates indicating that early miscarriages happen to every 10–20 of 100 pregnancies.

Labour MP Sarah Owen, who chairs The Women and Equalities Commission, had previously said in a report in January that the case for extending bereavement leave to pregnancy loss under 24 weeks gestation was “overwhelming”, and recommended that women (and their partners) who lose a pregnancy should be paid by the government at the same rate as maternity pay (£184.03 per week or 90% of weekly pay – whichever is lower) while on statutory leave. 

Whether you’ve been directly impacted by miscarriage or baby loss or know someone who has, you’ll find expert advice, honest stories and more information on the campaign at the Every Loss Counts hub. If you need specialist support now, visit Tommy’s. If you’re pregnant and something doesn’t feel right, always contact your GP, call 111 or call 999 in an emergency. 

Stylist wants better for everyone. We believe miscarriage and baby loss should be part of the cultural conversation, not something that’s shrouded in secrecy or shame. We believe that workplaces can be transformed into places of kindness, understanding and proper support. We believe that our politicians must prioritise women’s healthcare, sooner rather than later. For more information on the work we are doing, you can follow and support Stylist’s Every Loss Counts campaign.

Images: Getty