Pregnant women and new mothers subjected to alarming rates of workplace discrimination

Pregnant employees and new mothers returning to the workforce are experiencing alarming rates of discrimination, sexism and exclusion, a new study from the University of South Australia has found.

More than 550 women and new caregivers were surveyed in the study, led by Dr Rachael Potter, a researcher in workplace psychosocial safety.

More than 60% of new mothers returning to work said they experienced a range of workplace discrimination — including being excluded from projects, having their opinions frequently ignored, having their job altered without their knowledge while they were on leave, and being forced to undertake unmanageable workloads.

A quarter of women said their workplace did not provide appropriate breastfeeding facilities, while 23% said they felt they needed to hide their pregnant belly at work.

“Some women were made redundant, their contracts not renewed, and some who were denied toilet breaks when pregnant and not granted leave for medical appointments,” Dr Potter said.

“The results we have collected so far are concerning.”

Almost one in five women said they were refused requests to work flexible hours or from home. One respondent said, “I was told I wouldn’t want to return to work as I would be ‘clucky’. My career was severely impacted by my pregnancy, and I was forced to give up my team leader role.”

Another reported being bullied after returning to work, where she was “made to lift heavy kegs and alcohol cases without any ease”.

“The stress affected my breastmilk, and I was made to express in the toilet,” the respondent said.

Almost 40% of respondents said they received negative or offensive remarks from colleagues for taking time off work to care for a sick child.

Despite legislation requiring workplaces to inform pregnant women of their upcoming leave entitlements, the survey found that a third of women had not received any information about their rights.

“Our study not only highlights existing discrimination faced by pregnant women and new parents returning to work but also offers valuable insights into the areas that require improvement,” Dr Potter said.

One respondent said she had to “fight to remain employed just after returning to work, despite being an experienced, hard-working, and previously valued employee”.

Yet another said she was told her position was no longer available and that she could move to a different store which required one hour travel time each way.

In fact, 13% of women said they were treated so badly they decided to leave their jobs.

“The prime objective of this study is to identify where the issues are and use the evidence to improve work practices, ideally through stricter government policies and legislation,” Dr Potter said.

The study is the first national review of pregnant and working parents since the “Supporting Working Parents: Pregnancy and Return to Work National Review” released in 2014, which concluded that eradicating discrimination involved ensuring that both employers and employees understood their legal obligations and entitlements.

A similar study was undertaken last year in Victoria by Monash University, which found the common manifestations of pregnancy discrimination to be termination of employment, changes to terms and conditions of employment (such as salary reduction), and changes in employment status – from permanent full-time to casual.

This article was first published by Women’s Agenda.