Pregnancy discrimination often happens to women when they are already pregnant. Their boss may deny them the ability to go to medical appointments, for instance, or make it difficult for them to take maternity leave. If a woman announces her pregnancy and then has her hours or pay cut, it could be a clear sign that she is being discriminated against compared to other employees.
The potential for pregnancy, or the capacity to become pregnant, can also result in pregnancy discrimination. In a case like that, a woman does not actually have to become pregnant in order to be discriminated against.
2 potential examples
For instance, some employers may discriminate during the hiring process. Say that an employer has an unwritten policy under which they will not hire any women in their 20s or 30s, especially if they recently got married. The employer may simply be doing this to avoid hiring someone who may have a child in the future, even though they do not actually know if the woman plans to start a family or even has the ability to become pregnant.
In other cases, this could happen after a woman is already employed. Perhaps she is single when she gets hired and has never expressed a desire to have children, but then she gets married and tells her boss about the relationship. If the boss is then concerned that she could become pregnant in the future and decides to fire her and replace her with another employee, that could be an example of discrimination.
The critical thing is to remember that all employees should be treated fairly, regardless of their potential to become pregnant. If discrimination does occur, employees need to know what legal steps to take. Seeking personalized legal support is a good way to gain clarity in this regard.