Discrimination in the Workplace for Mothers

Given the purported advances in steps being taken in employment law to prevent discrimination, one would have hoped that mothers in the workplace are facing greater protection. However, a recent study has published the results of a survey of over 24,000 parents which reveals discrimination faced by mothers in the workplace. The study found that more than half of mothers (52%) faced discrimination when they were pregnant, on maternity leave or when they returned to work. As a result, nearly a fifth of mothers left their employer (19%).

A tenth of women surveyed said they were bullied or harassed while pregnant or when returning to work, and 7% of women lost their job either through redundancy, dismissal for some other reason, or feeling forced to leave due to the rejection of a flexible working request or health and safety issues.

The survey also revealed that 90% of breastfeeding mothers had to use a toilet or were not provided with a suitable space to express at work. Nearly three quarters of women reported a colleague making insinuations that pregnancy or maternity leave had caused their performance to dip (74%) or had experienced hurtful comments from colleagues about their pregnancy or maternity leave (73%).

The above is clearly concerning, and much more must be done to prevent this sort of Discrimination continuing.

The contents of this post do not constitute legal advice and are provided for general information purposes only.