[Pre-labor maternity leave for working women in physically demanding occupations]

Pregnant women, when employed in physically demanding occupations, may encounter difficulties in carrying out their work throughout pregnancy. Many such "blue collar" workers are unable to proceed in strenuous work during advanced stages of pregnancy. However, scientific evidence is not sufficient to support the widely accepted assumption of health risks due to the hard work during pregnancy. Therefore, in Israel, as long as pregnancy is normal, and the good health of both the mother and fetus is maintained, such workers are not entitled to sick leave or any other form of compensation. Nevertheless, many agree that strenuous work is not suitable for pregnant women, as a medical survey partly demonstrates. Identification of this problem and review of relevant literature led to the formation of a committee by the Israeli National Council for Women's Health. We hereby summarize relevant literature, describe the committee's work and elaborate its recommendations, mainly to consider and establish a unique compensated pre-birth leave for pregnant women whose work is physically strenuous.