Rockin' the Cradle: Paid Maternity Leave for Miscarriages Post-13 Weeks, Here's What to Expect
Post-miscarriage maternity care provisions have been instituted. - Post-Miscarriage Maternity Care Now Accessible
Take a chill pill! As of June 1st, lovely ladies who unfortunately encounter a miscarriage after the 13th week of pregnancy are entitled to maternity leave. But what's the deal with that in real life? And how many ladies will this new rule actually touch? Here are the deets you need to know.
What was the old deal?
Previously, the Maternity Protection Act mainly dealt with the pre- and post-birth period. The protective periods typically began six weeks prior to childbirth and ended eight weeks post-birth. During this time, babes on the beach didn't generally work in their field. They received maternity benefits that covered their full pre-pregnancy salary.
So, what happened with miscarriages before?
In medical terms, a miscarriage refers to the premature termination of pregnancy up to the 24th week. Ladies encountering such an unfortunate situation previously relied on a doctor's note. On the downside, neither maternity protection time nor Maternity Protection Act benefits were available unless the loss of the child happened after the 24th week of pregnancy.
What's the change?
The new law introduces a step-by-step approach, meaning: The later the miscarriage, the longer the maternity protection period. For a miscarriage after the 13th week, two weeks of maternity leave are now offered, and after the 17th week of pregnancy, six weeks are offered. If a miscarriage occurs after the 20th week, which is already quite advanced pregnancy-wise, ladies can expect to take eight weeks of professional leave. They will also receive pay replacement during these periods. No maternity protection claim is available for miscarriages before the 12th week.
Do affected women need to take professional leave now?
Nope. If a lady wants to work despite a miscarriage after the 13th week and chooses not to take the new maternity protection period, she can! It's all good according to the new law.
What about the self-employed?
The new rule applies to self-employed ladies and legally insured individuals. Even military peeps and civil servants will be eligible for maternity leave in the event of a miscarriage after the 13th week of pregnancy. However, self-employed individuals with private insurance are not included. This could change with the new federal government: The Union and the SPD in their coalition agreement aim to extend legal maternity protection benefits to the self-employed.
So far, self-employed ladies expecting a baby have no legal claim to maternity protection benefits – unless they are legally insured. Federal Minister for Women and Family Affairs, Karin Prien (CDU), stressed that considering regulatory changes for the self-employed is an important issue for her. However, it's unclear when such a new regulation will take place.
How many ladies will benefit from the new rule?
It's still a bit blurry. The Federal Ministry of Family Affairs doesn't have official statistics on the number of women who claimed maternity leave in the recent years or the number of those who had a miscarriage. Experts estimate that one in three ladies in Germany is impacted by a miscarriage.
According to research by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology, the Ministry of Family Affairs estimates that around 90,000 pregnancies end in miscarriage each year. Approximately 6,000 of these occur between the 13th and 24th week of pregnancy, and these women are now eligible for maternity leave. The majority of miscarriages, 84,000, happen before the 12th week, for which there is still no maternity protection.
The new community policy extending maternity leave to women experiencing miscarriages after the 13th week of pregnancy might be linked to the field of science, as it involves medical and legal considerations. In addition, the discussion about the self-employed's eligibility for maternity leave under this new policy could also be related to the health-and-wellness sector, particularly women's health, as it addresses the needs and rights of pregnant women.
With the new law offering two weeks of maternity leave for miscarriages after the 13th week and up to six weeks for those after the 17th week, it might be beneficial for women to consider vocational training programs in their respective fields to enhance their knowledge and skills during their leave period, ensuring a smoother return to work post-maternity leave.
