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BPC – Morning Consult: 1 in 5 Moms Experience Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace

The unique challenges facing working women remain central to America’s ongoing labor supply problems that undermine economic growth and contribute to inflation. While much of the focus has rightly been placed on the role of caregiving, child care and school closures, and the lack of adequate paid leave, it is also important to consider how bolstering workplace protections would help women build their careers at the onset of growing a family.

No federal law guarantees pregnant workers the right to reasonable accommodations or protections from discrimination in the workplace. To better understand the role of pregnancy discrimination today, the Bipartisan Policy Center and Morning Consult conducted a survey on the prevalence of pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. The survey finds that pregnancy discrimination is common across race, incomes, and other demographics, causing fear about informing employers about a pregnancy and leading many pregnant workers to consider a career change. These trends are particularly elevated among younger women and those who are currently working.

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Key Results

  • Nearly 1 in 4 (23%) mothers have considered leaving their jobs due to a lack of reasonable accommodations or fear of discrimination during a pregnancy.
  • 1 in 5 mothers (20%) say they have experienced pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.

Survey Parameters

Morning Consult surveyed a national sample of 2,200 adults. The survey was conducted February 4-February 6, 2022.

  1. Nearly 1 in 4 mothers (23%) have considered leaving their jobs due to a lack of reasonable accommodations or fear of discrimination from an employer during a pregnancy.

    • Younger mothers are the most likely to consider leaving their jobs because of pregnancy discrimination, including nearly one-third (32%) of those ages 18-34 and 26% of Millennials.
  2. 1 in 5 mothers (20%) say they have experienced pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.

    • Overall, 8% of all women have experienced discrimination related to pregnancy in the workplace.
    • Younger and currently employed women are more likely to have experienced pregnancy discrimination than older and retired women.
      • 13% of Millennial women have experienced pregnancy discrimination, compared to 9% of Gen X women and 5% of Baby Boomer women.
      • 10% of currently employed women reported experiencing pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.
  3. Adults are witnessing pregnancy discrimination in their workplaces.

    • Overall, 12% of all adults have witnessed pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.
    • 20% of parents say they have witnessed pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.
    • Younger adults are roughly twice as likely to report witnessing pregnancy discrimination as older adults.
      • 15% of current workers have witnessed pregnancy discrimination in their workplace compared to 7% of those who are retired.
      • Millennials (18%) are much more likely than Gen Xers (9%) and Baby Boomers (7%) to have witnessed pregnancy discrimination.
  4. Over 1 in 5 mothers have been afraid to tell an employer about a pregnancy.

    • 21% of mothers say that they have been scared to tell their employers about their pregnancies due to fear of discrimination or retaliation.
    • Overall, 9% of all women have been afraid to tell their employers about a pregnancy.
    • Younger generations of women and those who are currently working fear telling their employers about a pregnancy at higher rates than older workers and those who are retired.
      • 15% of Millennial, 8% of Gen Xer, and 4% of Baby Boomer women say they have been afraid to tell an employer about a pregnancy.
      • Meanwhile, employed women (10%) are more than twice as likely as retired women (4%) to have been afraid to tell their employers.
  5. A comparable portion of adults report that their partner or spouse has experienced pregnancy discrimination at work.

    • Nearly 1 in 4 (23%) fathers say their spouse or partner has experienced pregnancy discrimination.
    • Overall, 5% of adults say their partner or spouse experienced pregnancy discrimination.
    • Millennials (10%) are much more likely than Gen Xers (5%) and Baby Boomers (1%) to say their partner or spouse experienced pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.
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