Pregnancy Discrimination at Work
Making sense of the law on pregnancy discrimination for employees
Pregnancy discrimination at work is where a woman is treated unfavourably on the grounds of her pregnancy or pregnancy-related illness during the protected period from conception to the end of statutory maternity leave. Pregnancy discrimination in the workplace is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010, which also prohibits maternity discrimination.
If you believe you have been discriminated against due to your pregnancy, you should consult a specialist pregnancy discrimination lawyer.
Types of pregnancy discrimination
Unlike other forms of discrimination in the workplace, there is only one specific form of discrimination in pregnancy at work. This is direct discrimination which is defined as someone discriminating against a woman, in the protected period, in relation to her pregnancy, or treating her unfavourably because of her pregnancy or any illness she suffers because of it.
There are no specific definitions of indirect victimisation and harassment on the grounds of pregnancy. Please refer to our sex discrimination in the workplace page for further guidance.
How we help employees challenge pregnancy discrimination at work
If you are an employee, worker or under a contract to personally carry out work and believe you have suffered pregnancy discrimination at work with regards to redundancy, training, promotion or any other employment issue, we can help. Our expert pregnancy discrimination lawyers have experience of successfully bringing a wide range of pregnancy discrimination cases. This includes bringing claims under pregnancy discrimination law on behalf of women who have been dismissed when their employer has found out they are pregnant. Where the situation cannot be satisfactorily resolved using a grievance process – or you have been unfairly dismissed – we can represent you at an Employment Tribunal.
