{"id":1834,"date":"2026-09-28T16:35:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/09\/28\/employment-leave-for-pregnancy-loss-is-a-step-forward-but-support-must-reflect-the-diversity-of-pregnancy-endings\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T16:35:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:35:51","slug":"employment-leave-for-pregnancy-loss-is-a-step-forward-but-support-must-reflect-the-diversity-of-pregnancy-endings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/09\/28\/employment-leave-for-pregnancy-loss-is-a-step-forward-but-support-must-reflect-the-diversity-of-pregnancy-endings\/","title":{"rendered":"Employment leave for pregnancy loss is a step forward \u2014 but support must reflect the diversity of pregnancy endings"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span> PeopleImages\/ Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that the UK government is extending statutory bereavement leave entitlements to include early pregnancy endings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Currently, the statutory entitlement to parental bereavement leave is limited to parents whose child under 18 has died, or who experience a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy. This enables them to take up to two weeks of paid leave<\/a>. As of April 2027, the entitlement will be extended to \u201call types of pregnancy loss\u201d<\/a> that occur before 24 weeks \u2013 though in such cases this leave will be unpaid.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s positive that the government is taking pregnancy endings seriously as an employment issue. We especially welcome the breadth of pregnancy endings eligible under the new policy \u2013 including molar pregnancies, ectopic pregnancies, unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers and \u201call terminations\u201d<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Too often, pregnancy endings are treated as categorically different from each another, despite the fact, as our research shows<\/a>, that a person\u2019s experiences and their medical circumstances don\u2019t always conform to such clear distinctions. A person may terminate a wanted pregnancy, for example, because of a risk to their health or a diagnosis of foetal anomaly. Another may miscarry an unwanted pregnancy just before a scheduled abortion appointment. These experiences show the distinctions we rely on aren\u2019t always as clear cut as they might appear. <\/p>\n

We\u2019re also glad to see employees will be able to take the leave flexibly within 56 weeks of the pregnancy ending. The entitlement will also extend to partners and intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a significant problem at the heart of this announcement: the leave is unpaid. This will determine who can afford to use the entitlement. For someone with savings, a secure household income or a generous employer, two weeks without pay may be manageable. But for those without these privileges, the leave will be inaccessible. <\/p>\n

This may only widen the economic inequalities that already permeate experiences of pregnancy endings<\/a>. Those who do not have the means to lose wages or risk disciplinary action may have no choice but to work through any pain, bleeding or emotional impacts they\u2019re experiencing. <\/p>\n

Organisations have similarly commented on this aspect of the entitlement. During the consultation, the Trades Union Congress warned<\/a> that low-paid workers and people struggling financially may be unable to take unpaid leave. Sands, a charity that supports bereaved parents, highlighted the financial hardship<\/a> that can follow a pregnancy ending when people can\u2019t access paid time off. <\/p>\n

Linked to this issue is that people will have to disclose a pregnancy ending to their employer in order to take the leave \u2013 something many may not wish to do. Those in precarious work may feel particularly unable to reveal a pregnancy ending.<\/p>\n

But another key shortfall of the new policy is the \u201cbereavement leave\u201d framing itself.<\/p>\n

\n \"A
\n There\u2019s a risk here that some won\u2019t claim the leave they need if they don\u2019t define themselves as \u2018bereaved.\u2019<\/span>
\n fizkes\/ Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout the government document, the changes are described as giving people time and space to grieve the \u201closs of a loved one\u201d. Miscarriage UK has described the government\u2019s announcement<\/a> as \u201can important step in recognising pregnancy loss as a bereavement\u201d. <\/p>\n

There are many people for whom this language is appropriate \u2013 but grief is not the only response to a pregnancy ending. Our research shows how varied emotional responses can be<\/a>. Some people feel intense sadness or grief. Others feel disappointed, unsettled or ambivalent. Some feel relief. Someone may be upset by a miscarriage without understanding it as baby loss or describing themselves as bereaved. <\/p>\n

So what does the new entitlement mean for these people? They may still need time off for physical recovery and processing emotional responses, or space after an intense medical experience. There\u2019s a risk here that people won\u2019t claim the leave they need if they don\u2019t define themselves as \u201cbereaved\u201d. <\/p>\n

Sick leave is still an option, but defining experiences such as miscarriage as \u201csickness\u201d only reinforces patriarchal views of women\u2019s reproductive bodies as inherently defective and malfunctional<\/a>. Early pregnancy endings are very common and don\u2019t usually occur due to sickness<\/a>. It\u2019s problematic that people will have to choose between classifying their experience as either sickness or bereavement to take time off. <\/p>\n

The core message from our research is there\u2019s no single or right way to feel<\/a> when a pregnancy ends. But our concern is that framing the new entitlement as \u201cbereavement leave\u201d may contribute to a growing cultural trend \u2013 in the UK and elsewhere \u2013 of redefining miscarriage as the loss of a baby<\/a>. This language does feel right for some, and it\u2019s vital their experiences are validated and supported. <\/p>\n

But when used in a universalising way, the language of grief leaves no space for other experiences and understandings of miscarriage and other early pregnancy endings. This matters because language does more than describe experience: it can shape which experiences are recognised as \u201clegitimate\u201d and \u201cnormal\u201d<\/a>. This can deepen hierarchies, divisions and exclusions. Those feeling relief or ambivalence after a miscarriage, for example, may feel alienated by support communities centred entirely on loss and bereavement. They may even start questioning themselves \u2013 wondering if there\u2019s something \u201cwrong\u201d with them for not feeling grief<\/a>. <\/p>\n

These new policy changes are a step in the right direction. The growing recognition that pregnancy endings can have serious emotional impact is a welcome correction to years of dismissal and minimisation. It\u2019s good news that those who experience their pregnancy loss as bereavement will be supported in this way. <\/p>\n

But recognition can become restrictive when it assumes bereavement is the only, or \u201cright\u201d, response. The next step should be recognising the diversity of emotional responses too, and ensuring that statutory leave is paid, genuinely accessible and inclusive<\/a> of all who need time away from work, whatever their circumstances.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Susie Kilshaw receives funding from an Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Higher Education Innovation Fund.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Victoria Browne receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PeopleImages\/ Shutterstock Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that the UK government is extending statutory bereavement leave entitlements to include early pregnancy endings. Currently, the statutory entitlement to parental bereavement leave is limited to parents whose child under 18 has died, or who experience a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy. This enables them to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}