For many, the arrival of a child proves to be a real challenge on a professional level. Many find it difficult to return to work, and in the most extreme cases, some even find themselves sidelined or pushed out.
Established in 1977 by the United Nations, International Women’s Day is celebrated in many countries today on March 8.
It serves as a reminder that gender equality remains a crucial issue, particularly in the world of work, where women still face numerous forms of discrimination. This situation is all the more worrying for those who are pregnant or who have recently given birth.
In order to better measure the scale of the issue, the UK charity and campaign group, Pregnant Then Screwed, joined forces with Women In Data to conduct a survey.
Together, the two organisations surveyed 35,800 parents and extracted a representative sample of 5,870 UK parents to compile the “State of the Nation” report.
The results are alarming: in the United Kingdom, 12.3% of women are dismissed, pressured to resign or sidelined during their pregnancy, their maternity leave or the year following their return to work.
This represents up to 74,000 women per year, a figure up 37% from the 54,000 recorded in 2016.
“To find that 74,000 mothers a year are being pushed out of their job for daring to procreate is not surprising, but it is devastating. That’s a woman being pushed out of her job every seven minutes in the UK for doing something that is part of the human existence,” says Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, quoted in a news release.
The motherhood penalty
Furthermore, almost half of pregnant women, those on maternity leave, and those returning from maternity leave say they had a negative experience at work.
Of these, 20% ended up leaving their company. A third of respondents say they were demoted or sidelined after announcing their pregnancy or returning from leave.
In many companies, motherhood is still perceived as a disruptive or destabilising factor, and new mothers are often wrongly considered to be less efficient or less committed.
However, in the face of this discrimination, few dare to take their case to court: only 2% of who experience discrimination initiate legal proceedings.
Far from being isolated cases, this phenomenon raises broader questions about the responsibility of companies and public authorities. Yet, in the UK as elsewhere, the subject is rarely addressed, either in the workplace or in societal debates.
Mothers thus suffer a double penalty: in addition to the challenges of returning to work after giving birth (physical and mental fatigue, mental load, balancing work and personal life, etc.), they receive neither genuine support nor a sympathetic ear.
Worse still, for some, returning to work can mean a shift towards financial dependence on their spouse or employer, or even financial insecurity.
This phenomenon increases women’s vulnerability to acts of violence, whether domestic or at work, and has a lasting impact on their career path and their future retirement.
In light of this, it is urgent that companies review their policies in order to better protect pregnant workers and new mothers.
Raising awareness, adapting working conditions and strengthening the legal framework are all levers that could mitigate these injustices. Because beyond a question of equality, the sustainability of women’s careers is also at stake.