MPs say urgent action needed to protect pregnant women at work

A new report by the Women and Equalities Committee shows a shocking number of pregnant women and new mothers have fallen victim to discrimination at work. The committee is calling on the government to take action to protect these women and make it harder to make them redundant during and after pregnancy.

The report reveals the number of expectant and new mothers forced to leave their jobs has nearly doubled since 2005, totalling 54,000 last year. MPs are now calling for a German-style policy that means companies have to seek government approval to fire an employee who is pregnant or has given birth in the last four months.

Research from the Equality and Human Rights Commission shows 11% of women reported being dismissed, made redundant when others in their company weren’t, or treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their job.

Oliver Black, Director of My Family Care comments: “There is already nervousness within some industry’s about the redundancy of someone who is pregnant – certainly within areas like the financial services sector, where people tend to tread very carefully. However, what is true is that if we want to narrow the gender pay gap, create a more gender diverse workforce and achieve the goals of women on boards, etc – we have to make sure our talent pools are full of the best people. Making sure that the simple fact of having a baby isn’t career ending has to be a step in the right direction.”

Meanwhile, Laura Harrison, People and Strategy Director at the CIPD says: “It’s inexcusable that discrimination against pregnant women at work is still a problem in the UK. Besides the damage this discrimination causes to women’s self-confidence and earnings potential, there’s a resultant loss of value for employers – not just in terms of talent but possibly also of the engagement of women. Who wants to give 100% when their commitment to work or value in the workplace is being questioned? That’s hardly a fair deal. The consequence of this loss of talent and engagement to the UK economy is obvious. We know the economy will only reach its potential when it builds and sustains opportunities for women to be as economically active as men.”