Austrian social minister proposes paid grief leave for women after miscarriage

Austria's Social Minister Korinna Schumann unveiled a draft policy that would allow women who experience a miscarriage to take paid "grief leave" - four weeks after 16 weeks of gestation, eight weeks after 20 weeks, and up to sixteen weeks after 23 weeks. The leave would be financed entirely by the Familienlastenausgleichsfonds and would sit alongside the existing option of ordinary sick leave for those who prefer confidentiality.

The plan also proposes extending protection against dismissal to four months following a miscarriage and would apply to self-employed individuals. Additionally, Schumann intends to debate granting a two-week leave to the partner of a woman who suffers a loss. The initiative follows a recent Oberste Gerichtshof decision that denied pregnancy allowance to a woman whose loss occurred at 25 weeks because the embryo weighed under 500 g, underscoring the need for clearer support measures.