Increasing number of pregnant wowork force facing illegal discrimination in the rickplace.
Pregnant women are facing increasing levels of discrimination at work and one in seven is being made scanty while on mystifyhood leave.
According to a in the raw survey, more(prenominal) than one in ten female employees have been replaced by the person who covered their maternalism leave.
Aand an alarming 40 per pennyime reported a cut in hours or demotion on their return to work.
Almost a third of new mothers said they entangle they didn’t fit in and two in atomic number 23 said they lacked support from their employer on returning to work.
The poll, conducted by interlocking law firm Slater & Gordon, revealed that just leash per cent of those affected had sought legal advice on maternity discrimination.
Samantha Mangwana, an employment lawyer at the firm, said: “Women are distraint in silence.
“The big issue is that women are somehow moderaten as being less committed to their employers because they are now mothers.
“ galore(postnominal) companies are settling verboten of court because they don’t want to be seen to be treating pregnant women or new mothers like this.
“But the awful thing is that I see the same major companies again and again and again, writing out these cheques – accompanied, of course, with a confidentiality clause.”
The findings are echoed in a report by the charity Working Families, which said almost ten per cent of calls to its advice line were about maternity-related issues.
“This is the third year we’ve reported on high levels of maternity discrimination, with signs that employer attitudes are hardening and discrimination decorous more blatant,” said Sarah Jackson, old- durationr executive of Working Families.
“eighter from Decatur years ago – in the first place the recession hit – the tinge Opportunities Commission found 30,000 women lost their jobs each year because of maternalism or maternity.
“It is snip the issue was revisited, as we believe our helpline reveals scarcely the tip of the iceberg.”
According to Working Families, the erosion of flexible working arrangements unite with cuts to nestlingcare tax credits has had a disproportionately ban impact on women, who still shoulder the majority of childcare responsibility.
The introduction of a £1,200 fee for employment tribunals impart also no doubt stop many women from want justice through the legal system, at a time when they face losing their income and meeting the additional costs of childcare.
Legal action against maternity discrimination is so rare that cases often draw more media attention.
Recent examples include the high-profile case of Katie Tantum, a trainee City lawyer who claims she was rejected for a permanent position because she was pregnant, and Kate Torpey, who is suing retailer Kew after her boss allegedly told her she would be ‘totally useless’ as chief finance officer if she had two children.
According to the Fawcett Society, in times of ascesis discrimination against women in the workplace is likely to rise; when employers cannot gift to take any perceived perils, women become the less inexpensive choice.
One of the most effective ways to combat this perceived risk would be to give men equal access to paternity leave.
It may be a long time before the responsibility for childcare shifts towards equality, but when it does the risk of employing men and women testament even out.
Liz Gardiner, head of policy for Working Families believes shared maternal(p) leave would help tackle maternity discrimination, and said: “ upward(a) rights for fathers to take paternity leave would make it harder for ?employers to view women of child bearing age as the problem.”
According to a survey by another law firm, Allen & Overy, 58 per cent of men in the UK would consider taking paternity leave. This jumps to 79 per cent of 25-34 year-old men.
From this month, both parents are entitled to increased unpaid agnatic leave of 18 weeks, and there are proposals in the channel for shared maternity/paternity leave.
Under proposals made by the confederation government, which are currently under consultation, from 2015 mothers and fathers could choose how they share time off after the birth of a baby.
The move has been deliciousd by Maternity Action.
Rosalind Bragg, director of the national charity said: “We welcome any proposals to allow genuine shared parenting, which is good for the baby, mother and father.
“Many businesses understand that fathers, as well as mothers, should be allowed to carry out parenting duties and we need to spread this good expend across Britain.
“Enabling both parents to remain in the custody during their childbearing years has long term benefits for the UK by defend family incomes during the recession, reducing the number of families living in poverty, and reducing constrict on the benefits system.
“It also means that employers retain valuable skills and find out that are otherwise lost.”
The UK currently ranks 18th out of 27 developed countries when it comes to job security and pay for women.
The UK has slipped down the table, which was complied by PriceWaterHouseCoopers, whereas the Nordic counties, where shared parental leave is the norm, have well-kept the top spots.
Materials taken from Womens Views on News
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