This surprising announcement came as a relief for a lot of working women in New Zealand. Thanks to a new law, those who have had a miscarriage will be entitled to paid bereavement leave. This is another way for the country to support and empower women. But what about bereavement and parental leaves elsewhere in the world?
Once this bill has been approved by parliament, working women in New Zealand will get a 3-day paid leave after having a miscarriage. New Zealand thus officially becomes the world's second country to adopt such legislation, India being the first. Indeed, working women in India are entitled to 6 weeks of paid leave to women who have had a miscarriage. This law was passed in 1961 and applies to all businesses, including shops having at least ten employees. It aims at supporting women from the moment they join the labour market.
It's also worth noting that in India, even women who have had a tubectomy are entitled to two weeks of paid leave following the operation. Employers can also make an arrangement to allow them to work from home for some time beyond this period. Still, many women are not even aware of this law.
New Zealand recognises that many women have so far been compelled to take sick leave after miscarriage or the death of their newborn child. Its government thus hopes to better support women and eradicate prejudices associated with miscarriage and stillbirth. New Zealand encourages other countries to implement similar legislation so as to reduce the psychological and emotional burden of miscarriage on working women.
But the reality is something else, even confusing in some countries. In Australia, for example, women who have had a miscarriage after 12 weeks of pregnancy are eligible for special maternity leave. However, this leave is unpaid even if approved by employers. Bereaving spouses have to take either annual leave or sick leave. In Indonesia, those who had a miscarriage are eligible for a maternity leave of 1.5 months provided they produce an obstetrician certificate. However, paragraph 2 of Article 82 of the Indonesian Labor Law does not specify whether it is paid leave.
In the Philippines, a new law in 2019 increased paid maternity leave from 60 days to 105 days. Previously, mothers were entitled to 60 days maternity leave in the case of normal delivery and 72 days in the case of cesarean. But there's more to it. Women who have had a miscarriage or had an urgent termination of pregnancy are also entitled to 60 days of paid maternity leave!
While in the United States, no law requires employers to grant special leave to women who have had a miscarriage, in the United Kingdom, the law is clear. If a woman has had a miscarriage after the 24th week of pregnancy or the infant dies during or after birth, she is still entitled to paid maternity leave.
In Taiwan, according to law, a working woman is eligible for four weeks of maternity leave in case of miscarriage if her pregnancy has lasted more than 3 months. If she had a miscarriage after less than 3 months of pregnancy, she can take a week off. If the pregnancy lasted less than 2 months, she can take 5 days off. However, there is no clarification as to whether this is paid leave.
What about parental leave?
Interestingly, the United States and Papua New Guinea are the only countries in the world that do not have any laws regarding parental leave. But some countries are quite generous towards parents. Finland, for example, grants both parents 164 days of parental leave from 2021. One of the two parents can take a total of 328 days of parental leave on their own! Note that this also applies to non-biological parents, that is, in the case of adoption, even by parents of the same sex.
Denmark also stands out regarding parental leave. The law guarantees a total of 52 weeks of paid leave, but not entirely at the same rate. Mothers are eligible for a total of 18 weeks of maternity leave, i.e. 4 weeks before birth and 14 weeks after. Dads can also take two consecutive weeks off during this period. Beyond these 14 weeks, the two parents can share an additional 32 weeks. And if the child or parents get sick, 14 more weeks are granted.
You've probably realised that Nordic countries seem to be the most generous when it comes to parental leave. Sweden grants 18 weeks of paid maternity leave to mothers. However, new parents can benefit from a total of 480 days of parental leave at 80% of their normal salary. Of those 480 days, 90 days are fully paid leaves for the dad. This is meant to allow both parents to strengthen ties with their child from birth.
In Iceland, parents can share 12 months of parental leave. So the mom can take as many days as she needs, and the dad takes the rest. However, the number of remaining days of parental leave cannot be transferred so that both parents can bond with their child. Norway is also flexible regarding parental leave. Moms have the choice of taking either 49 fully paid weeks or 59 weeks paid at 80% of their salary. Depending on their wife's income, dads can also take up to 10 weeks of parental leave.
Hungary is another generous country that grants 72 fully paid weeks to mothers. In Belgium, mothers can take up to 15 weeks of maternity leave, either all at once or part-time, over an extended period of 10 months. Dads benefit from 10 days of parental leave. In Estonia, mothers can take a total of 140 days of fully paid pregnancy and maternity leave. Dads are eligible for 2 weeks of paid leave. When the parental leave is over, the two parents can share an additional 435 days at an average rate calculated according to their combined income.
