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Statistics on Pregnancy Discrimination: You’re Not Alone

Understanding Your Rights: Navigating Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace

No one should have to suffer in silence. If you are in a situation where your pregnancy is being bullied – yes, bullied – by others in the workplace, you need to know that you have rights. This type of discrimination has been around since the 1960s, becoming so problematic that it led to the creation of a Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978. From the 1970s to 2013, the number of women in the United States work environment has increased from 30.3 million to 72.7 million. From this current number of women working, about a third of them get pregnant while employed, and a large number are emotionally and mentally traumatized by discrimination during their pregnancy. Unfortunately, pregnancy discrimination has a cruel tendency to affect your job performance and financial stability at a crucial stage of your life.

The good news? …. You can fight this, and you don’t have to do it alone.

What The Law Says …

Under the amended federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act (commonly known as the “PDA”), if you work in an office with at least 15 employees, your employer cannot:

• Fire you because of your pregnant state.

• Refuse to hire you or disallow certain concessions like less time standing, non-exposure to machines or equipment that could endanger the life of your unborn child.

• Deny you a deserved promotion because you are pregnant or because you will eventually file for maternal leave.

The law states that you must be treated like every other worker with a temporary medical condition, including qualifying for benefits. In addition, if you work in a small office with less than 15 employees, you still have rights and can seek legal assistance in fighting pregnancy discrimination.

What Is Really Happening Today…

Sometimes, the law is not enough to prevent bad things from happening to good people, and pregnancy discrimination is one perfect example. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, this type of discrimination has increased by 71% from 1992 to 2011. Many women just like you are afraid to lose their jobs, get ridiculed by co-workers, or be subjected to censure from their immediate supervisor or boss, and so they allow it to happen to them. In extreme cases, they can even end up resigning voluntarily.

What You Can Do If This Happens To You

Being pregnant is never physically easy, because of the changes that a woman has to undergo from first trimester morning sickness to the adjustments in size and shape during the second and third trimester. However, these changes are manageable and should never be used to affect your job or your benefits.

1. As soon as you feel your rights have been violated, we strongly encourage you to do the following:

2. Write down exactly what happened in detail. Include date, time, persons involved, and events that happened.

3. Don’t let it affect your work by walking out or behaving inappropriately, like shouting or sending out online posts. Keep your composure and if you feel the need for space, follow the usual office protocol.

Consult with a pregnancy discrimination lawyer immediately.

The Law Offices of John J. Zidziunas & Associates has an experienced team of New York and New Jersey pregnancy discrimination lawyers who know and understand your rights. For further information, please feel free to Contact Us.

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