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Workplace experiences of pregnancy loss research spotlighted on INTO Teacher Talk podcast
Marita Hennessy PhD recently joined David Geary, Director of Communications, and Maeve McCafferty, Equality Officer, with the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) on the ‘Teacher Talk with the INTO’ podcast to discuss issues surrounding the INTO’s campaign to secure paid reproductive health leave for its members.
Marita shared findings from the PLACES (Pregnancy Loss in Workplaces: Informing policymakers on support mechanisms) project on behalf of the research team based at University College Cork and the University of Galway. The PLACES report – commissioned by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and launched earlier this year – recommended that a statutory right to paid leave should be introduced for pre-viability pregnancy loss, regardless of the gestational stage or the reason for the loss. A further eight recommendations for Government to consider in developing workplace supports for people who experience pregnancy loss under 24 weeks were also proposed.
The research team surveyed almost 1,000 people and interviewed 13 people who had experienced a pregnancy loss under 24 weeks. The report also drew on a review of international literature, statutory leave provisions for pregnancy loss, and pregnancy loss policies across a sample of companies in the Republic of Ireland. During the podcast episode, Marita highlighted key findings, noting that just under a third of people (29%) who took part in the PLACES survey were from the education sector.
She desribed how many took time off work, which was important for physical and emotional recovery – this was most often in the form of sick leave. Often people felt they had to return to work before they were ready due to the lack of leave available to them. This was particularly poignant for teachers. Many participants anticipated or experienced negative reactions relating to disclosing their loss, including insensitive comments and discrimination at work. Overall, people expressed the need for statutory, protected, paid leave, as well as other workplace supports such as policies and guidance, training for management and staff, and flexible working arrangements.
Marita stressed the need for implementation of the report findings. She encouraged listeners and members of the INTO to advocate and support such activities within their own schools alongside national advocacy efforts.
Many thanks to David and Maeve at the INTO for the opportunity to share our research on workplace experiences of pregnancy loss in this episode of Teacher Talk.
Tune into the episode ‘Fighting for reproductive health leave’ here: https://shows.acast.com/teacher-talk/episodes/fighting-for-reproductive-health-leave or bit.ly/TeacherTalkEp5.
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The PLACES Research Team includes: Professor Keelin O’Donoghue (Pregnancy Loss Research Group-PLRG, INFANT), Ruadh Kelly-Harrington (PLRG, INFANT), Marita Hennesy PhD (PLRG, INFANT), Dr Sara Leitao (National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre; PLRG), Dr Daniel Nuzum (PLRG), Dr Caroline Dalton-O'Connor (School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC), Professor Mary Donnelly (School of Law, UCC), Dr Claire Murray (School of Law, UCC) and Dr Maeve O'Sullivan (JE Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway).
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), founded in 1868, is the oldest and largest teachers’ trade union in Ireland. It represents over 45,000 teachers at primary level in the Republic of Ireland and over 7,000 teachers at primary and post-primary level in Northern Ireland.