Women lose up to £14,000 in earnings after miscarriage or stillbirth
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Study reveals employment ‘bias’ against women suffering pregnancy loss
- A new ONS study reveals women in the UK can lose up to £14,000 in earnings and face reduced employment prospects after a miscarriage or stillbirth.
- The ONS data shows women experienced lower average earnings for up to five years after losing a child during pregnancy or labour.
- The study examined the monthly pay and employment status of women who experienced stillbirths, neonatal deaths, miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and molar pregnancies.
- Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said women were “judged as less capable of doing their job” as soon as they became pregnant, even if they later lost the pregnancy.
- She added that the trauma of child loss was “compounded by ongoing bias which says they must be distracted and less committed to their job”.