New evidence of pregnancy discrimination

The number of women forced out of their jobs because they are either pregnant or on maternity leave has more than doubled in the past decade, according to a major report. Research published today estimates that about 60,000 women suffer such discrimination annually, while the introduction earlier this year of £1,200 up front tribunal fees has exacerbated the problem by deterring tens of thousands from taking legal action against their employer. One in three of those who unfairly lose their jobs and win a tribunal are paid no compensation at all, and only four in 10 tribunal awards are paid in full. Since 2008, as many as 250,000 women have been forced out of their job simply for being pregnant or taking maternity leave, according to the report by the charity Maternity Action.

Pregnant? Don't expect your job back The Independent 8th December 2013

Maternity leave: 50,000 women a year don’t get jobs back

Up to 50,000 women who take maternity leave each year are unable to return to the jobs they left behind because of discrimination by employers according to figures analysed by the House of Commons library. The research found that as many as 14 per cent of the 340,000 women who take maternity leave every year find their positions under threat when they try to return. Some are told that they cannot do their old job part-time and are forced into roles with less responsibility while others are effectively constructively dismissed. Those who do return to the same job sometimes find it harder to get promotion, leading to a growing pay gap between men and women in later life.
Maternity Gap - The Independent 27 August 2013

More flexible parental leave rights to come into force from 2015

Under the new system:

• A new mother will be able to trigger flexible leave at any point after the first two weeks

• Parents will be able to share the remaining 50 weeks between them as they like

• Leave could be taken in turns or at the same time

• Maximum leave will remain 12 months, nine of them on guaranteed pay

• Couples will need to be "open" with employers and give them "proper notice"

• Paternity leave to remain at two weeks but to be reviewed in 2018

The changes have been broadly welcomed by maternity rights campaign group Maternity Action, but they continue to campaign for

• A four week ‘daddy month’ on top of existing entitlements

• Shared parental leave for fathers where the mother is self-employed or otherwise not entitled to maternity leave

• Shared parental leave can be taken flexibly: on a part time basis or in blocks of time

• Clear rights to paid breastfeeding breaks and facilities
• Increased rates of statutory parental pay

They also point out that 30,000 women each year lose their jobs through pregnancy discrimination

Soaring cost of childcare 'stops parents seeking work'

A report out this week: Counting the Costs of Childcare, by the politically independent Resolution Foundation, found that the rising cost of childcare means that going out to work full-time is now hardly worthwhile for a growing number of "second earners" in middle- and low-income families. In the most extreme case – where a second earner takes a full-time job at the minimum wage – a couple who use childcare could be left just £4 a week better off with two incomes than with one. The study finds that a family with two children in which two earners bring in a total of £44,440 could end up just £4,000 better off than a similar family earning £20,000 less, because of the combined effect of benefits, tax, tax credits and childcare costs. In some cases a family's income can fall when a second earner takes on more hours, because of the complexities of the tax and benefits regime.
The Observer 28/10/12

Rate your employer on maternity rights

UK charity Maternity Action are running a survey of how well UK employers meet their legal obligations to pregnant women. The survey is for women who are, or have been, employees (not agency workers, casual workers, freelancers or the self-employed). Take the survey here to help Maternity Action in their policy and campaigning work for the rights of pregnant women and new mothers. You and your workplace will not be identified in any resulting publications.