JobWatch was featured in The Age on 7 September 2022, commenting on our data on pregnancy discrimination workplace.
September 06, 2022
Employment rights community legal centre JobWatch said there was a 17 per cent increase in calls in 2021 compared with 2019 from women who say they have been bullied, dismissed, made redundant or even been subject to disciplinary action after announcing their pregnancy.
Some employers have refused to observe medical advice on the risks to pregnant women.
Analysis by researchers at Monash Business School of calls made to JobWatch found that despite the outlawing of workplace pregnancy discrimination in 1995, it is happening largely under the radar because many women do not know where to get support.
“Things haven’t improved since it was outlawed,” said JobWatch executive director Zana Bytheway.
“Women may not even fundamentally know their rights. We do not even know the extent of the problem because so many women remain silent.
“Working women are integral to the workforce, and women get pregnant, so we have to understand this and stop treating them like they are a financial impost, inconvenience or disruption.”
The report was also covered in the Guardian, the Herald Sun online, and a number of other publications.
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