UK parents breathe a sigh of relief amid changes to bereavement leave
The government is set to give more parents who have experienced a miscarriage the option of bereavement leave. As announced on July 7, 2025, amendments to the Employment Rights Bill will offer 'at least one week's leave' to couples who have suffered a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Current bereavement leave rules give parents a maximum of two weeks of bereavement leave if a child younger than 18 dies or if they suffer pregnancy loss after 24 weeks. The proposed extended right to leave would be unpaid and last for at least one week, though the exact length is still being consulted on.
As stated in the official press announcement, hundreds of thousands of employees are impacted by pregnancy loss each year - with one estimate suggesting that there are around 250,000 pregnancy losses caused by miscarriages alone in the UK annually and a further 12,000 impacted by loss due to ectopic pregnancies.
"No one who is going through the heartbreak of pregnancy loss should have to go back to work before they are ready," says Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. She says the change will give "people time away from work to grieve and spend time with their families".
Following the announcement, many UK couples took to social media to emphasise their relief with many sharing their own experiences grieving a lost pregnancy. One user shared their devastating loss and their difficult experience returning to work.
'This is very good news,' one Facebook user commented on news of the bereavement leave amendments. 'We had a loss at 12 weeks and it devastated me.'
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She continued: 'We went to have the 12 week scan, to be told we'd had a loss, on the 23rd Dec…My boss was very understanding in January, as that's when it really hit me and at the time let me take the time off (one week) as sick leave. '
She continued to explain that a miscarriage 'isn't just a heavy period' and that it can result in bleeding, pain and a devastating constant reminder of what you have lost.
Another user shared: 'It's such a difficult time, physically and emotionally, and having to be 'sick' over this period can be difficult. I know I felt like a burden for needing a longer time off to process and accept what has happened.'
The amendment comes after heavy campaigning from Women and Equalities Committee chair Sarah Owen MP. 'From my personal experience of miscarriage to the powerful testimony the Women & Equalities Select Committee heard, I know the difference that bereavement leave will make.'
Owen called the amendments a 'bold and necessary move' from the government. 'Nothing will ever take away the pain of losing a pregnancy, but this law change will provide workers with the security of time to grieve and help end the stigma of miscarriage for good.'
The announcement follows the launch of the landmark Parental Leave and Pay Review the week prior, which will look at ways to fix the parental leave system for millions of parents so that it delivers a better start to life for all children.
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