Protection from dismissal during pregnancy
Every country in this table bars an employer from dismissing a woman because she is pregnant, but the statutes differ on how long the shield lasts. Austria and Germany protect her for four months after the birth, Spain for up to twelve months after it, the Netherlands for six weeks after she returns from birth leave, and Japan voids a dismissal for a year. Australia and Canada tie the ban to the reason for the dismissal instead of a calendar period, and Norway presumes the pregnancy was the reason unless the employer makes another one overwhelmingly probable. Exceptions range from a court or authority in Austria and Germany to a justified dismissal in Spain and none stated in Canada.
Scope of this guide
Canada: the Canada Labour Code (federal sector) and the Ontario statutes that LawAsked has loaded. Other provinces are not compared.
| Country | Effect on a dismissal | Protected period | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Notice is legally ineffective | During pregnancy and for 4 months after the birth; 4 weeks after a miscarriage | Employer did not know and is not told within 5 working days; court consent |
| Australia | Termination is prohibited | No fixed period: applies whenever pregnancy is a reason for the termination | Inherent requirements of the position; religious institutions |
| Canada | Dismissal, suspension, lay-off, demotion and discipline are prohibited | No fixed period: applies when the reason is the pregnancy or a leave application | |
| Germany | Dismissal is impermissible | During pregnancy until the end of the protection period after birth, at least 4 months after the birth; 4 months after a miscarriage after week 12 | Employer unaware and not told within 2 weeks; authority may declare a dismissal permissible in special cases |
| Spain | Dismissal is void (nulo); immediate reinstatement with back pay | From the start of the pregnancy until the birth leave begins, during the leave, and after return for up to 12 months from the birth | Dismissal declared justified for reasons unrelated to the pregnancy |
| Japan | Dismissal is barred during leave and void for pregnancy and for a year after birth | Pregnancy and the first year after the birth; during leave and 30 days after it | Employer proves the reason was not the pregnancy; compensation paid under Art. 81 or business impossible after a disaster |
| Netherlands | Employer cannot give notice | During pregnancy, during birth leave and for 6 weeks after she returns to work | Written consent; trial period; closure of the business (not while on pregnancy or birth leave) |
| Norway | Dismissal on grounds of pregnancy is barred | During pregnancy; during leave of up to one year | Employer shows it is overwhelmingly probable the reason was something else |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- Mutterschutzgesetz 1979 § 10
- The employee can still rely on the protection if she tells the employer within five working days after the notice is given.
- The court may consent to a dismissal in the cases listed in § 10 Abs. 3, for example a closure or restriction of the business.
Dienstnehmerinnen kann während der Schwangerschaft und bis zum Ablauf von vier Monaten nach der Entbindung rechtswirksam nicht gekündigt werden, es sei denn, daß dem Dienstgeber die Schwangerschaft beziehungsweise Entbindung nicht bekannt ist.Eine Kündigung ist auch rechtsunwirksam, wenn die Schwangerschaft beziehungsweise Entbindung dem Dienstgeber binnen fünf Arbeitstagen nach Ausspruch der KündigungAbweichend von den Abs. 1 und 2 kann eine Kündigung rechtswirksam ausgesprochen werden, wenn vorher die Zustimmung des Gerichts eingeholt wurde.Eine Kündigung ist bis zum Ablauf von vier Wochen nach einer erfolgten Fehlgeburt rechtsunwirksam. Australia
- Rule
- Fair Work Act 2009 s 772
- Pregnancy is one of several protected reasons in the list, next to family or carer’s responsibilities and absence during parental leave. The section protects against termination for those reasons, so it does not set a start or end date for the pregnancy.
- The exception for the inherent requirements of the position applies to the discrimination grounds in paragraph (1)(f).
An employer must not terminate an employee’s employment for one or more of the following reasons, or for reasons including one or more of the following reasonsfamily and domestic violence, pregnancy, religionthe reason is based on the inherent requirements of the particular position concerned Canada
- Rule
- Canada Labour Code s 209.3
- Applies to employees under the Canada Labour Code (federal sector); Ontario’s Employment Standards Act is not ingested. The ban also covers taking the pregnancy into account in decisions on promotion or training.
- The section lists no exceptions, and this guide does not claim there are none beyond the section itself.
No employer shall dismiss, suspend, lay off, demote or discipline an employee because the employee is pregnant or has applied for leave of absence in accordance with this Divisionor take into account the pregnancy of an employee Germany
- Rule
- Mutterschutzgesetz § 17
- The authority may allow a dismissal only in special cases that have no connection with the woman’s condition during pregnancy, after a miscarriage or after the birth. The dismissal must be in writing and state its reason.
Die Kündigung gegenüber einer Frau ist unzulässig 1. während ihrer Schwangerschaft, 2. bis zum Ablauf von vier Monaten nach einer Fehlgeburt nach der zwölften Schwangerschaftswoche und 3. bis zum Ende ihrer Schutzfrist nach der Entbindung, mindestens jedoch bis zum Ablauf von vier Monaten nach der Entbindungwenn dem Arbeitgeber zum Zeitpunkt der Kündigung die Schwangerschaft, die Fehlgeburt nach der zwölften Schwangerschaftswoche oder die Entbindung bekannt ist oder wenn sie ihm innerhalb von zwei Wochen nach Zugang der Kündigung mitgeteilt wirdkann in besonderen Fällen, die nicht mit dem Zustand der Frau in der Schwangerschaft, nach einer Fehlgeburt nach der zwölften Schwangerschaftswoche oder nach der Entbindung in Zusammenhang stehen, ausnahmsweise die Kündigung für zulässig erklären Spain
- Rule
- Estatuto de los Trabajadores art. 55.5
- Article 55.5 covers disciplinary dismissal; article 53.4 sets the same nullity for dismissal on objective grounds. Article 14.2 applies the same rule to a termination during the trial period.
- The 12 months run from the birth, adoption or fostering and apply to the employee who has returned from the leave in article 45.1.d.
Será también nulo el despido, en los siguientes supuestos:El de las trabajadoras embarazadas, desde la fecha de inicio del embarazo hasta el comienzo del periodo de suspensión a que se refiere la letra a)siempre que no hubieran transcurrido más de doce meses desde la fecha del nacimientoLo establecido en las letras anteriores será de aplicación, salvo que, en esos casos, se declare la procedencia del despido por motivos no relacionados con el embarazoEl despido nulo tendrá el efecto de la readmisión inmediata del trabajador, con abono de los salarios dejados de percibir. Japan
- Rule
- 労働基準法 第十九条; 男女雇用機会均等法 第九条
- Two statutes apply together. The Labour Standards Act bars dismissal while the woman is on leave and for 30 days after. The Equal Employment Opportunity Act voids a dismissal of a pregnant woman or one within a year of the birth unless the employer proves the reason was something else.
産前産後の女性が第六十五条の規定によつて休業する期間及びその後三十日間は、解雇してはならないただし、使用者が、第八十一条の規定によつて打切補償を支払う場合又は天災事変その他やむを得ない事由のために事業の継続が不可能となつた場合においては、この限りでない。 妊娠中の女性労働者及び出産後一年を経過しない女性労働者に対してなされた解雇は、無効とする。ただし、事業主が当該解雇が前項に規定する事由を理由とする解雇でないことを証明したときは、この限りでない。 Netherlands
- Rule
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7 art. 670 lid 2, art. 670a
- The employer may ask for a statement from a doctor or midwife to confirm the pregnancy. The leave itself is set in the Wet arbeid en zorg, which is not ingested; only the Civil Code rule is read here.
- Article 670a(2) lifts the prohibition when the employee consents in writing, for notice during the trial period, and for the closure of the business, but the closure exception does not reach a woman on pregnancy or birth leave.
De werkgever kan de arbeidsovereenkomst met een werkneemster niet opzeggen gedurende de zwangerschap.gedurende de periode waarin zij bevallingsverlof als bedoeld in artikel 3:1, derde lid, van de Wet arbeid en zorg geniet en na werkhervatting, gedurende het tijdvak van zes weken aansluitend op dat bevallingsverlof a. de werknemer schriftelijk heeft ingestemd met de opzeggingb. het een opzegging gedurende de proeftijd betreftd. de opzegging geschiedt wegens de beëindiging van de werkzaamheden van de onderneming, met dien verstande dat de opzegging niet kan betreffen de werkneemster die zwangerschaps- of bevallingsverlof geniet Norway
- Rule
- Arbeidsmiljøloven § 15-9
- A dismissal during the pregnancy is presumed to be caused by it unless the employer makes something else overwhelmingly probable. The employer may demand a doctor’s certificate of the pregnancy.
- For leave under §§ 12-2 to 12-5 of up to one year, notice may not take effect during the absence; a lawful notice whose end falls in that period is extended.
Arbeidstaker som er gravid kan ikke av den grunn sies opp.Oppsigelse som finner sted i denne perioden, skal anses å ha sin grunn i dette forhold dersom ikke noe annet gjøres overveiende sannsynlig.Arbeidstaker som har permisjon etter §§ 12-2, 12-3, 12-4 eller 12-5 første ledd i inntil ett år, må ikke sies opp med virkning i fraværsperioden Countries not in this table yet
The United Kingdom, France, Sweden and the United States are not shown. The Employment Rights Act 1996 leaves the protected period of pregnancy to regulations that are not ingested, the French Code du travail rules on pregnancy dismissal are not ingested, the Swedish Föräldraledighetslag protects against dismissal for taking parental leave but not for pregnancy as such, and the US statutes ingested contain no such rule.
How this table was built
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The table shows the statutory minimum only. Collective agreements, awards and individual contracts often give more than the statute, and some countries let a collective agreement set different terms.
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LawAsked, “Protection from dismissal during pregnancy”, https://lawasked.com/guides/pregnancy-dismissal-protection (reviewed October 25, 2026).
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