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Pregnant women face discrimination in the workplace. It's a fact. It's as bad as the state of our maternity leave.
The Miami Herald took note of the large number of women blogging about being fired from their job for being pregnant. I'm sure they were reading CafeMom.
And forget about trying to find a job when pregnant. It's hard enough to find a job when you're not right now.
The sad fact is that you can be laid off when pregnant. You can be fired when on maternity leave. And there is little we can do about it.
Or is there?
"'In the tough economy, employers consider expecting mothers to be expendable employees,' Robert Weisberg, a Miami labor lawyer who represents victims of discrimination, told the Miami Herald. "'In these times, pregnancy is viewed as a real liability.'"
He went on to say that new mothers are seen as less productive on the job.
Women are speaking up -- complaints on pregnancy-bias rose 14 percent last year...the biggest increase in 13 years.
Though the complaints become a type of (s)he said/she said situation.
One woman in Florida is suing her former employer, one of the largest general contractors in the Southeast. She says her manager "criticized her for getting pregnant, harassed her, and called her a liability." She complained to human resources and was fired.
The company says the firing was based on performance.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act says it is illegal to fire, or not hire, a person because she is pregnant.
But proving discrimination because of pregnancy is difficult when it's one person's word against another.
Have you been discriminated against at work during your pregnancy? What do you think of pregnancy bias?
Related posts:
Pregnant Women Discriminated Against in the Workplace
Comments (18)
as soon as i told my employer i was pregnant i was demoted to a "less stressful position" they said they were trying to look out for me, but i would prefer the "stress" (which was not at all stressful if you did the job right) to a lower pay grade. i quickly found a new job.
I actually got lucky and was treated pretty much equal.. i worked untill 39 weeks then my manager decided the week of my due date that i wasnt gonna be working till i came back from leave which i didnt mind. i do hope they dont fire me eventually but they have been really good with pregnancy and looking after me.
This is a very unfortunate fact that needs to be resolved.
I was lucky when I was pregnant the people I worked with were great. After I had my son we found out he had down syndrome and before my maternity leave was up I quit to take care of him. Well times got pretty tough and I found myself needing to find a part time job. They hired me back part time which they don't usually do. When I read this it made me sick. I don't think that women should have to worry about discrimination at all when they are pregnant. I do know that it is really hard to find a job when pregnant and I don't know anyone who ever has.
So far, I've been really lucky. When I was pregnant with my first, my boss worked with me and even let me come back just part time. I left that job for other reasons. I got hired while I was pregnant with my second. Had to go on bedrest and I still had a job when I came back. I'm pregnant again and the only thing my boss has asked is how long I would like to have off after the baby is born.
Not to defend what companies are doing, but some women put themselves in these positions. I know a group of people who the moment they become pregnant decide they can't do anything. How can an employer keep you on if you won't do anything? I think anyone that keeps doing their job shouldn't have to worry.
I don't know if it is the company or the people running my particular store, but my employer is very family friendly. When my son was born I was able to take three months off, and while pregnant I had more attendance allowances (for morning sickness) . When I started getting early contractions from working too hard, they switched me into a less physical department that I now run. And our insurance is great!
i graduated cosmetology school and found out that i was pregnant. That was six months ago and i still haven't found a job. even when the window says " now hiring."
I was dropped from full time to part time a few weeks ago and now that I am showing I don't think I will be able to find another job until after the baby is born.
i was fired from my job shortly after my boss found out i was expecting. i was told i could return a few months after the baby was born but my pregnancy would 'become an issue'. i have not been able to find a job throughout this entire pregnancy. let's face it, in this economy, nobody wants to hire someone who will only be around for a few months before they need off again. it stinks!