Many people consider pregnancy to be an exciting and joyful time in their lives. While friends and family may share this excitement with you, coworkers and employers may not see things the same way. The actions that colleagues and employers take regarding your pregnancy may qualify as workplace pregnancy discrimination.
Starting in 1978, the government has taken an official stance against workplace discrimination towards pregnant women. Since that time, members of the workplace discriminating against pregnant women is as illegal as any of the other groups that have protection from discrimination.
What does pregnancy discrimination look like?
There are many ways in which a business, employer, or coworker can discriminate against someone pregnant. Forms of this discrimination can look like:
- Failure to include pregnancy benefits in work-offered insurance
- Refusal to hire due to pregnancy
- Asking questions related to pregnancy during the interview process
- Firing someone for intending to become pregnant
- Pay cuts due to pregnancy
- Firing after a request for maternity leave
- Denying benefit accrual during pregnancy leave
These are only a few of the ways a pregnant person can receive discrimination. If another party or person acts negatively against someone because of the pregnancy, chances are discrimination.
You can fight back
When Human Resources catches wind of possible discrimination, they often make an effort to “keep things in the house” and not involve any attorneys. This effort is only for the best interest of the company and not the discriminated party. Victims of discrimination deserve to protect their rights, and they can seek an attorney’s representation for that protection.
If you have suffered discrimination due to being pregnant or planning to become pregnant, an experienced attorney can help you hold the discriminating party accountable for their actions. By sending the message that no one will tolerate pregnancy discrimination, it can keep others from feeling the same discrimination.
