How to Recognize Pregnancy Discrimination at Work

It’s no secret that in the past, pregnant women—and women in general—were often discriminated against at work.

Despite the fact that women’s equality has come a long way in recent decades, and the fact that there are now laws in place to prevent this type of discrimination, such instances of prejudice continue to persist today. One recent study found that 4 out of 10 women have experienced some sort of gender-based discrimination at work.

If you’re a woman in the workplace, you need to be aware of your rights. To combat pregnancy discrimination, you need to be able to identify it. Read on for a comprehensive guide to how you can recognize pregnancy discrimination at work.

The Way Things Were

It was only in the early 1900s that the first crop of women began to enter the workforce in earnest in the US. Since the very start of women being present in the workplace, there were forms of discrimination against them.

Women who were pregnant—or of childbearing age—were passed over for positions. Pregnant women weren’t afforded the same level of medical benefits as their male counterparts. They found it more difficult to reenter the workforce after giving birth.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act

It’s for all of the above reasons and more that the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was eventually created. It was in 1978 that US Congress passed the act as an amendment to the sex discrimination section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This was following a number of contentious cases being heard before the Supreme Court.

This act prohibits discrimination in the hiring, firing, promotion, and pay of pregnant women or women of childbearing age. Furthermore, it disallows the creation of any policy that would impact women because they are pregnant or able to become pregnant.

Valid Pregnancy Discrimination Cases

So, what are some cases in which you might be able to hire a pregnancy discrimination lawyer and win your case?

First and most simple, you cannot get fired for being pregnant. You also can’t be passed over for a promotion for being pregnant. It’s unlawful for your employer to even ask if you are pregnant or plan to have children.

If you go on pregnancy leave, your employer needs to leave your position open to you as long as they would for someone on disability leave. Unfortunately, in the US there isn’t any mandated paid maternity leave, but you’re entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if you work for a company with 50 or more employees.

Something to note about the Pregnancy Discrimination Act is that it only covers workplaces with 15 or more employees. If you work in a smaller organization, you should check your local government laws. If you do think you’ve been discriminated against for any of the above reasons, click here now.

Don’t Let Pregnancy Hold You Back

If you’re a woman in the workplace, pregnancy discrimination is something you need to watch out for. When your employer does act in a discriminatory way, don’t suffer in silence. For more workplace and legal advice, check out some of our other articles now.