Have you ever been a victim of pregnancy discrimination?
I saw this in The Stir - Has it ever been an issue for you?
Pregnancy Discrimination at Work in 2012 Is Mind-Baffling
It's amazing how often we see stories of women discriminated against in the workplace and fired just for being pregnant. I'm always shocked and can't believe anyone in this day and age could do it so blatantly. But they do ... all too often.
Just last month, a woman won a settlement against a Subway restaurant for an incident in which she went in to apply for a job and was told they couldn't hire her because she was pregnant. And she's not alone. Statistics show that the number of pregnancy discrimination charges increased about 15 percent in the last 10 years. It's such a pressing problem that the government is now ramping up efforts to help combat it -- and it's about time.
This week in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission held a meeting in which experts testified about the problem. But when it comes to understanding why this still happens -- 35 years after the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was passed -- commissioners are somewhat perplexed.
EEOC Commissioner Stuart Ishimaru said, "Why have we missed the boat? Itβs a puzzle to me.β But it's a puzzle we must solve.
Even if you keep your job, once you have a child, you may get paid less than your coworkers. One expert referred to a βmotherhood wage penalty" that costs moms as much as 5 percent in wages ... per child!
It infuriates me to think about it. I've been working for a lot of years in a lot of places, from government to Fortune 500 companies, and never have I found motherhood or lack thereof to be what makes someone an asset or detriment to a business or organization. Do people with children need to take unexpected days off or leave early on occasion? Absolutely. But we are also some of the most dedicated workers out there, because it's not just ourselves we're responsible for -- it's our children too.
Are some moms bad workers?
Sure, but so are some single 20-somethings who party every night.
Emotion aside, it's
flat out discrimination -- that's why there's
a law against it. Pregnancy isn't a disability, and just
because men can't get pregnant doesn't mean they don't have plenty of parental
responsibilities -- or should have if they've fathered children. To assume a
mother is the one who needs to take the care of the kids or that she can't work
as well if she does is outrageous.
The commission promises to start cracking down on businesses that don't allow women to make a living at a time they likely need the money the most and will "vigorously enforce the anti-discrimination laws." Great, I hope they do, but how sad that they must.
Have you ever been a victim of pregnancy discrimination?
In jan 2011 I was I worked for a fire and water resteration company I told them I had become pregnant . Then rumors started to fly. That it wasnt my boyfriends baby that it was a coworkers. Thats wasnt true I was trying to do my job to the best that I could they put me in all sorts of places that i feel was the cause of my miscarrage. Soon after this happened I put in my 2 week notice because of how bad I was being treated. I soon went back to my summer job in april were everyone ;loved me and they are like family. I also found out on my hubbie bday we were pregnant agin and we now have a little girl
Im currently pregnant, and I have literally applied at every place hiring, and have not gotten the job. My friend who had a baby last year was in the same situation. I havnt had issues finding work until now. =/ The time that I really need it the most. Its very stressful
Leigh and I were managers of a gashouse in '98-'99. We sold gas and cigarettes. I got pregnant with Kayla and worked until I went into labor. After I had her, I spent 2 weeks off while Leigh took over as the head manager like I was. As soon as I tried coming back to work, they fired both of us. Which wasn't a good thing, but especially because our house was attached to a little room where we sold the gas and cigarettes. So, not only did we lose our jobs but we lost the house we were renting too. If I had known the laws then about that kind of thing like I know them now, we could have sued them and won.
I applied and got a seasonal part time job for Pepperidge Farms in a kiosk at Christmastime. Two days later I got a call, saying they couldn't put me on the schedule and I did not work there any longer. I had never worked a shift or even trained for them. I wasn't due until February, so it's not like that was the issue. When I asked why, I was told that it was because their liabilty insurance refused me due to me being unable to lift. I wasn't on any restrictions, lifting or otherwise. How much does a box of cheese and sausage weigh? Really?
My daughter was harassed by her boss when he found out she was pregnant. He actually don't her friend that he "didn't like that she was pregnant". She was 18, and not married. She quit. I wish she'd gone after the jerk.
I disagree with this though:
Quote:
Even if you keep your job, once you have a child, you may get paid less than your coworkers. One expert referred to a βmotherhood wage penalty" that costs moms as much as 5 percent in wages ... per child!
Let's face it, usually for women, family comes first. I see it all the time, women missing or leaving work because a kid is sick, or needs to be picked up, talking on the phone with the kids while at work, and generally being distracted by things at home. That pay discrepency could very well be due to a performance that is not equal to the performance of someone without a child, or to a man who lets his wife be the primary caregiver. I wouldn't make the assumption that women are being discriminated against just because they are mothers.
Quoting LilyofPhilly:
I disagree with your characterization of working mothers. I could sit here and make up why any named group of people would be bad at their job.
When at work, I am fully dedicated to my job. I haven't taken a day off for a sick child in over 3 years.
The fact that overall working moms are payed less is an outrage.
Quoting Kris_PBG:
I disagree with your characterization of working mothers. I could sit here and make up why any named group of people would be bad at their job.
When at work, I am fully dedicated to my job. I haven't taken a day off for a sick child in over 3 years.
The fact that overall working moms are payed less is an outrage.
I never said working mothers aren't dedicated to their work. But who do you think is more likely to stay at the office late, take on extra projects, travel, etc?
The problem with statistics is that they don't show you the whole story.
My husband quit a job because of the travel requirements, because family is more important to him. So he ended up leaving a company that paid him very well.
I make a bit less than the other managers at work. Out of all the other managers, only one other has as many kids as I do-which is 4, but he's a man. I make less than the other managers (I'm guessing, but it's probably true). Oh my gosh, they must be paying me less because I'm a woman and have all these kids! Either that, or it's because I have way less experience than the others, because I focused on my kids for the better part of my adult life.
You can't tell me it's all just because your employer sees that you have children and just decided not to pay you more! I guess it happens sometimes, but to make the generalization that women just automatically and unfairly earn less on average just because they happen to be mothers is ridiculous. Even the line about the more children you have, the less money you'll make shows that with more kids there is more pulling your energy and time away from work. Why the hell would your employer care how many children you have, unless you made it an issue?
Blogging
- Cafe AmyS
on Feb. 16, 2012 at 1:52 PM