A new survey reveals that three-quarters of bosses say they would not take on a new recruit if they knew they were going to fall pregnant within six months of starting.
The survey by Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS), comes in the wake of £1m newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky telling her new bosses at Channel Five News that she was going to have a baby just weeks after starting.
ELAS commissioned the survey of 1,100 company bosses and personnel managers after finding that they were dealing with an increase in the number of cases involving pregnancy and new employees.
These included cases where candidates were asked in interview if they had plans for a family – something banned under sex discrimination law – and jobs withdrawn after making an offer – again a practice that is banned.
The survey also found that during the hiring process 52% will weigh up the chances of a candidate getting pregnant taking into account age and whether they have just got married – although a direct question cannot be asked.
Managers would like more rights to quiz candidates about their plans for a family and claim they would feel cheated if they hired a woman who subsequently left a few weeks later.
The Apprentice star Sir Alan Sugar had made his views on the situation clear. He believes more women she be upfront about baby plans in job interviews. What do you think? Do you agree with the survey's findings?
Post your comment and let us know.
