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Pregnancy and maternity discrimination

The law relating to pregnancy and maternity discrimination is governed by the Equality Act 2010. The core provisions of the Equality Act 2010, which repealed the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, came into force on 1 October 2010. While the Equality Act 2010 largely consolidated previous discrimination legislation, it also designated pregnancy and maternity as a protected characteristic in its own right.

The Equality Act 2010 specifically protects women against direct discrimination and victimisation because of the protected characteristic of pregnancy and maternity. While there are no specific provisions in the Equality Act 2010 for indirect discrimination and harassment in relation to pregnancy and maternity, a woman can claim sex discrimination in these cases. For example, many indirect sex discrimination cases are connected with the refusal of employers to allow women returning from maternity leave to work part time.


    • Maternity
    • Latest News
    • Pregnancy and maternity discrimination

    Woman wins £15k payout following director’s treatment during pregnancy

    by Ashleigh Webber 5 May 2022
    by Ashleigh Webber 5 May 2022

    An employee who was threatened with dismissal after revealing she was pregnant has been awarded a £15k pay out for pregnancy and maternity discrimination.

    • Maternity
    • Latest News
    • Furlough

    Nursery worker dismissed while pregnant was discriminated against

    by Ashleigh Webber 7 Feb 2022
    by Ashleigh Webber 7 Feb 2022

    A nursery employee who was dismissed at the height of the pandemic was discriminated against because she was pregnant, a tribunal has found.

    • General Data Protection Regulation
    • Vaccinations
    • Coronavirus

    Can you reduce contractual sick pay for unvaccinated staff?

    by Jo Moseley 20 Jan 2022
    by Jo Moseley 20 Jan 2022

    As some employers reveal that they have removed contractual sick pay from unvaccinated staff, Joanne Moseley examines the legal risks...

    • Gender
    • Maternity
    • Latest News

    Employers turn down half of flexible work requests from working mothers: survey

    by Adam McCulloch 15 Oct 2021
    by Adam McCulloch 15 Oct 2021

    TUC and Mother Pukka survey finds 50% of working mothers have experienced their employer rejecting or only accepting part of their flexible working request.

    • NHS
    • Latest News
    • Pregnancy and maternity discrimination

    Pregnant employee awarded £10k after colleague accessed patient record

    by Ashleigh Webber 3 Sep 2021
    by Ashleigh Webber 3 Sep 2021

    An NHS employee has been awarded a £10,000 pay out after a colleague accessed her confidential patient records when she announced her pregnancy.

    • Latest News
    • Pregnancy and maternity discrimination
    • Information & consultation

    Male CEO joked about betting on director’s pregnancy weight

    by Rob Moss 1 Sep 2021
    by Rob Moss 1 Sep 2021

    A former marketing director at courier service CitySprint, where male colleagues allegedly joked about taking bets about her pregnancy weight...

    • Gender
    • Maternity
    • Latest News

    Pregnant Then Screwed to give closing keynote at EB Live 2021

    by Zoe Wickens 31 Aug 2021
    by Zoe Wickens 31 Aug 2021

    Joeli Brearley, founder of charity and campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, will be delivering the closing keynote speech about the ...

    • Sexual harassment
    • Latest News
    • Pregnancy and maternity discrimination

    Blog post alleges sexual harassment and misogyny in advertising sector

    by Ashleigh Webber 15 Jul 2021
    by Ashleigh Webber 15 Jul 2021

    A senior advertising agency figure has exposed the extent of sexual harassment, assault, misogyny and discrimination in the industry.

    • Maternity
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Musculoskeletal disorders

    NHS setting up network of pelvic health clinics

    by Nic Paton 15 Jun 2021
    by Nic Paton 15 Jun 2021

    NHS England is rolling out a network of pelvic health clinics to improve support for pregnant women and new mothers.

    • Gender pay gap
    • Ethnicity pay gap
    • Shared parental leave

    Labour presses for stronger maternity redundancy protection

    by Ashleigh Webber 1 Jun 2021
    by Ashleigh Webber 1 Jun 2021

    Labour wants stronger protections for pregnant employees and new mothers, as well as the reinstatement of gender pay gap reporting enforcement.

    • Economics, government & business
    • Maternity
    • Latest News

    Ministerial maternity bill will help ‘spectacularly small’ number of women

    by Ashleigh Webber 11 Feb 2021
    by Ashleigh Webber 11 Feb 2021

    Labour MP Stella Creasy said she would be prepared to sue the government over plans to grant maternity protections to cabinet ministers but not backbench MPs.

    • Settlement agreements
    • Modern slavery
    • Sexual harassment

    Employment law in limbo: Key proposals to resurrect in 2021

    by Stephen Simpson 4 Feb 2021
    by Stephen Simpson 4 Feb 2021

    Many proposed employment law changes that the government has put forward in the last few years have stalled, mainly as...

    • Working from home
    • Latest News
    • Pregnancy and maternity discrimination

    A sixth of redundant staff say they were selected for being a parent

    by Ashleigh Webber 28 Jan 2021
    by Ashleigh Webber 28 Jan 2021

    Law firm Slater and Gordon says some redundancy selection processes are unfair and employers are unlawfully making decisions based on protected characteristics.

    • Collective redundancy
    • Reasonable adjustments
    • Testing

    Top 10 Covid-related claims employers could face in 2021

    by Stephen Simpson 4 Dec 2020
    by Stephen Simpson 4 Dec 2020

    The Government’s furlough scheme, large-scale redundancies, safe working concerns and the rise of flexible working will have a big impact...

    • Gender pay gap
    • Gender
    • Coronavirus

    Equal Pay Day: pandemic put gender equality at a crossroads

    by Ashleigh Webber 20 Nov 2020
    by Ashleigh Webber 20 Nov 2020

    The UK has arrived at a crossroads at which progress in gender equality could either be set back decades, or...

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