Some UK employers openly admit that they avoid hiring pregnant women, according to research from the University of Bath.
Academics spoke to 37 managers across the UK for a study that has now been published in the journal, Social Policy and Society.
They found a “stark divide” between managers who fully backed maternity leave and others who found it to be a costly disruption. Some managers openly justified discriminatory practices.
Dr Helen Kowaleska, who authored the study, found that smaller firms with little experience of managing maternity leave were the most resistant.
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One small business partner told researchers: “Yes, I would discriminate against a pregnant applicant… I wouldn’t say anything to her face, but I wouldn’t recruit her.”
Some managers in this “risk averse” group accused women of “playing the system” and described new mothers as “fragile” or inflexible against their perceptions of an ideal worker.
“Business-first employers” offered practical and conditional support, but only for junior or lower-status roles.
These firms were more resistant to employing pregnant women in senior positions, with one admitting: “If I was employing a head of service… you pick the one who isn’t going to be away for a year and come back exhausted.”
“Value-driven employers” were made up predominantly of women and HR managers, and treated maternity leave as a matter of fairness.
This group prioritised equal treatment across all job levels, and considered the costs to be manageable within a long-term business strategy. Many in this group drew on personal experience and empathy.
Some managers in this group had even supported pregnant staff through personal crises, going beyond professional obligation.
However, despite these positive moments, more than half of those interviewed held views or admitted to acting in ways that could disadvantage mothers’ careers.
Dr Kowalewska said: “My study shows that employer attitudes to maternity leave are not just about costs.
“They are also shaped by deeper beliefs about what makes an ‘ideal worker’ and who ‘deserves’ support, which are sometimes used to justify outright discrimination.
“Unless these beliefs change, legislation alone will struggle to deliver real workplace equality.”
The government has today published a response to a review of parental leave by the Women & Equalities Committee, which found the UK’s offer to be “one of the worst” in the developed world.
However, while a formal review has been launched into the parental leave system in the UK, the WEC said it was disappointed that there had been no commitment to better-paid paternity leave to support families in this parliament.
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