The campaigning charity, Pregnant Then Screwed, has published a study showing that just over half of all mothers (52%) have faced some form of discrimination during their pregnancy, their maternity leave or when they returned to work.
The report, which surveyed over 24,000 parents, also found that one in five mothers had left their job following a negative or discriminatory experience.
Far more shocking, however, was the finding that one in every 61 pregnant women had been told by their boss that they should terminate their pregnancy. For instance, when one woman informed her superior that she was pregnant, she was told that “it would be easier for your future career if you just bought a coat hanger”. Three other colleagues also told the same woman that she was ruining her career and should have an abortion.
As the report points out, however, the discrimination does not always come from a superior. In fact, 73% of women said that a colleague had made hurtful comments about their pregnancy or maternity leave, while 74% reported that a colleague had insinuated that their performance had dipped because they were pregnant. Some women even experienced criticisms about the way they looked, with 64% saying that their boss or colleagues had made hurtful comments about them.
One in ten women also revealed that they had been bullied or harassed when pregnant or on their return to work, while 7% had lost their job because they were made redundant, had been dismissed or felt forced to leave either because their flexible work request had been refused or because of a health and safety issue.
Indeed, although the Health and Safety Executive recommends that employers provide a private and safe environment for breastfeeding mothers to express and store milk, 90% of mothers who were breastfeeding reported that they had to use a toilet or were not offered any suitable space.
A sample of 3540 respondents was randomly selected from a pool of 24,193 for the study which was compiled with Women in Data.
To read the report in full, click here.