Maternity rights

The Government is considering additional legal protection in a bid to prevent discrimination of new and expectant mothers at work.  MPs on the Women’s and Equalities Committee made recommendations last August, and a consultation is due shortly to assess strengthening laws against such discrimination.

Currently, it is against the law to discriminate against a woman if she has recently, or is due to give birth – a legal protection that lasts from when she becomes pregnant until the end of maternity leave.  Despite this protection, the Committee heard evidence that many women were experiencing such discrimination,  with the number of new or expectant mothers forced to leave their jobs doubling to 54,000 since 2005.

Whilst consideration is being made to improve legal protection, the Government has declined MPs request to extend the time limit to bring an employer to a tribunal. Currently, this sits at three months, whereas there had been calls to extend this to six months.

 
For more about this story and women’s’ rights see here.