Steps You Can Take to Prevent Pregnancy Discrimination at Work
Attorney suggests five steps you can take to prevent pregnancy discrimination at work once you find out you’re expecting
The federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act makes it unlawful for an employer with 15 or more employees to discriminate on the basis of pregnancy or a pregnancy-related condition. Federal law also makes it illegal to discriminate against pregnant women, or those with children, based on stereotypes. For instance, an employer couldn’t decide not to give a job which requires a lot of travel to a pregnant woman based on the logic that “women with young children should be at home.” Penalizing women (or men) even for paternalistic reasons is illegal. Women that have difficult pregnancies resulting in health problems, including postpartum depression, may be protected by the American’s with Disabilities Act. Similarly, it is unlawful to retaliate against a woman for taking time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act, which applies to employers with 50 or more employees.
Here are five steps you can take to protect yourself at work:
