General Article Pregnancy and maternity discrimination forces thousands of new mothers out of their jobs

Topic Selected: Gender Equality
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New research suggests that around 54,000 new mothers may be forced out of their jobs in Britain each year.

These findings are based on a survey of over 3,200 women by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, in which 11% of the women interviewed reported having been dismissed, made compulsorily redundant where others in their workplace were not, or treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their jobs. If replicated across the population as a whole, this could mean as many as 54,000 women losing their jobs each year.

The research, carried out in partnership with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, also found around one in five new mothers experienced harassment or negative comments from their colleagues, employer or manager when pregnant or returning from maternity leave.

The survey is the largest of its kind, with a total of more than 6,000 mothers and employers across Great Britain taking part in interviews about their experiences and practices.

The research als...

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