San Francisco has a fast-paced start-up scene and boasts a growing economy due to innovation and high recruitment rates, with many people moving to San Francisco and the Bay Area for work. However, with this rapid recruitment comes mistakes made by employers, and this can be in the form of discrimination.
Many employers are under high pressure to get results and hit their targets. As a result of this, they can be quick to lose sight of the legal responsibilities that they owe to their employees. As a result of this, they may wrongfully discriminate against employees who reveal that they are pregnant. This discrimination can take many forms; however, there is never an excuse for it.
How am I protected from pregnancy discrimination?
There are several federal laws that protect pregnant women. One of these laws is the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (PDA). This states that a woman cannot be fired because of her being pregnant. Similarly, her pregnancy cannot affect the hiring process, or determine the assignments, working conditions, benefits, promotions, wages or retirement policies. In other words, your pregnancy should not affect the way you are treated at work in any way.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) also gives all employees that have been employed at the job for a year or more the chance to take unpaid leave for a variety of reasons, and this includes pregnancy too.
If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your pregnancy, it is very important that you take action and not tolerate unlawful actions.
Source: Workplace Fairness, “Pregnancy Discrimination,” accessed Jan. 10, 2018