Pregnant.

Discriminating against Pregnant Workers…


The book gives an example of a woman from Washington who was laid off from her job. The reasoning they gave her was that she would soon be taking maternity leave and was not her family’s sole breadwinner. First of all when in the process of termination and deciding which employee to let go, you should base it on qualifications and job performance. Never should you tell your employee they are being fired because they are not the “sole breadwinner”. The woman in this story was discriminated against just because she was pregnant. The employer figured that since she was leaving on maternity leave anyway that he could just let her go all together. He probably figured that it would be easier to just let her go and hire someone to replace her, rather than hire a temporary employee to take her place while she is gone. As an employer, you probably do not know how things are at home, this pregnant woman could have been the breadwinner and her family could have been depending on her income. Termination should be based on performance and work ethics. Like it says in the book, “Decisions about work absences or accommodations must be based on the same policies as the organization uses for other disabilities.” Never should you hire or fire someone based on pregnancy. Most women can still perform most of their job descriptions while pregnant. Like the guest speaker said in class on Thursday, unless we receive a doctor’s note, pregnant women will continue with their required job description until deemed necessary by a physician. Pregnancy can be a complicated issue to deal with at the workplace especially with men. It is something that only women can understand. Both sexes, however must not take advantage of the issue. Women must know their rights and not push the boundaries with rules and accommodations. Men must understand that being pregnant is a complicated issue and some jobs must be adjusted as determined by a physician. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 was created on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or other kinds of gender discrimination dealing with females. Women are protected under this act and will be treated as fairly as others at the work place. I read the following online: “Under the law, pregnancy is considered a temporary disability, as are related medical conditions such as severe morning sickness, doctor-ordered bed rest, childbirth, recovery from childbirth, and any other related medical condition. Your employer must therefore give pregnant employees the same treatment and benefits that it gives to employees with other temporary disabilities.” Pregnancy defined as a disability must be treated like one. You must make appropriate accommodations as deemed necessary by the employer.