Employers’ Attitudes to Pregnant Women and New Mothers

New research by the Equality and Human Rights Commission has revealed that British employers are ‘living in the dark ages’ and have worrying attitudes towards unlawful behaviour when it comes to recruiting women. 

The survey found that around a third (36%) of private sector employers agree that it is reasonable to ask women about their plans to have children in the future during recruitment. In addition, 59% agree that a woman should have to disclose whether she is pregnant during the recruitment process and almost half (46%) of employers agree it is reasonable to ask women if they have young children.

The survey was conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Commission in an attempt to understand managers’ attitudes towards pregnancy and maternity discrimination.

Looking beyond antiquated recruitment beliefs, the survey also found that, when it comes to maternity discrimination in the workplace, 44% of employers agree that women should work for an organisation for at least a year before deciding to have children.

The Commission is calling on employers to take action to eliminate these attitudes and, more importantly, pregnancy and maternity discrimination in the workplace for good.

“We should all know very well that it is against the law not to appoint a woman because she is pregnant or might become pregnant,” commented Rebecca Hilsenrath, Chief Executive of the Commission. “Yet we also know that women routinely get asked questions around family planning in interviews. It’s clear that many employers need more support to better understand the basics of discrimination law and the rights of pregnant women and new mothers.”

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