Maternity Rights in the Netherlands: What Every International Parent Needs to Know

Are you pregnant in the Netherlands — and not sure what your rights at work actually are?

You are not alone. This is the most asked-about topic in international parent communities, and in this episode we finally get it answered properly — by an employment lawyer.

Eva sits down with Ferline van Laerhoven, founder of Fair Line Law and Dutch employment law specialist, who has spent a decade working with international companies and employees in the Netherlands. In this conversation they cover:

→ When you are legally required to tell your employer you're pregnant

→ Whether employers are allowed to ask if you're pregnant (even in a job interview)

→ Medical appointments and prenatal checks — are they paid time?

→ What workplace adjustments employers must legally provide

→ Night shifts, overtime and physically demanding work during pregnancy

→ Extra paid rest breaks — the legal right most people don't know they have

→ Sick leave during pregnancy: why it is treated differently, and why you get 100%

→ How sick leave interacts with maternity leave length

→ What happens after maternity leave ends if you're still unwell (including PPD/PPA)

→ The 16 weeks: how it splits, how it's applied for, and the WAZO process

→ Permanent contracts, temporary contracts, part-time and freelancer rights

→ What non-renewal of a contract while pregnant really means legally

→ Miscarriage before and after 24 weeks — what Dutch law says right now

→ The Amsterdam and Utrecht grievance policy — and what it means nationally

→ Stillbirth rights and bereavement leave

→ Documentation, complaint timelines and what to do when things go wrong

→ Partner leave — the full 6-week picture

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Fair Line Law — employment lawyer specialising in pregnancy and parenthood at work

Website: www.fairlinelaw.nl

Instagram: @fairlinelaw

Email: info@fairlinelaw.nl

Juridisch Loket — free basic legal advice (income-dependent): www.juridischloket.nl

UWV — Employee Insurance Agency, maternity benefit questions: www.uwv.nl

Dam Parenting Podcast — questions and community: damparentingpodcast@gmail.com

Paternity leave episode coming soon — send your questions to damparentingpodcast@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram.

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