It's 2008. In many ways, the American workplace has become a far more progressive place than it ever has been. Except, perhaps, when it comes to treatment of pregnant women. 
This fascinating piece on Time.com reports that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has seen a 65 percent increase in complaints about discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace between 1992 and 2007. The number of claims hit a record of 5,597 last year, all from women who believe they are being treated differently because they have babies in their bellies. Those claims still only account for a fraction of the EEOC's total complaints, but that number is still much higher than I would have imagined.
The National Partnership for
Women and Families studied some of the stats and found that the industries that generated the most concern were retail, services, finance, real
estate and insurance. (Award for most egregious treatment of women-with-child? A maternity store that refused to hire pregnant employees. Nice. What's next? Book stores that won't consider literate applicants?)
The reasons behind the alleged discrimination vary, but the main one seems to be the belief that mothers won't be as interested in their work once that baby is born, an assumption that leads to them having less responsibility at the office. The Time article also notes some studies that suggest people are "grossed out" by pregnant women, a response that may make managers subconsciously averse to entrusting those employees with important tasks.
Working moms and pregnant ladies, talk to me. Have you gotten the sense since announcing your pregnancy or giving birth that your bosses don't see you the same way? Even though you are working full-time, do you feel your parenthood is holding you back in some way that -- whether actual or perceived -- carries the whiff of discrimination? Do you get the vibe that people are grossed out by you? (I get that vibe sometimes, but it's usually when I didn't have time to shower that morning. Which is technically a byproduct of motherhood, but probably doesn't count as discrimination against me because I have a kid.)
The one thing this article does not tell us is how many of those EEOC complaints were resolved. Were they found to be legitimate? And if so, how were the issues dealt with? As the story states, many women are afraid to report on such cases because they fear long-term damage to their career, which means discimination against pregnant women could be more widespread than even these statistics indicate. This is an incredibly important issue, so please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.
Oh, and P.S.: Don't shop at any maternity stores that refuse to hire pregnant women. Seriously. That's some stone-cold b.s. right there.
Image: Helen King/Corbia Via Time.com
