A poll by the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights shows that the labor market in the Netherlands is not very tolerant of pregnant women in the workplace. Of the 750 responses to this poll, a third of women say they regularly receive criticism from their manager about their pregnancy. More than a quarter of the women do not get a promotion because of their pregnancy. The cancellation of a contract extension is also still common (25% of the responses). The poll is part of the 'Pregnant and Work:regular or hassle' campaign. Pregnancy discrimination at work should be banned. But what can we do about it?
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Pregnancy discrimination at work therefore seems to be common. Have you, or someone you know, had any experience with it? Share your story below if you like 🙂 . But, more importantly, always report pregnancy discrimination at work. With the campaign, the College offers women an outlet for problems with work and pregnancy via the website www.zwangerenwerk.nl. Laurien Koster, chair of the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights:“Previous research has already shown that pregnancy discrimination at work is common. In general, employers indicated that they had no major problems with pregnancy at work. Yet we now hear directly from the workplace that managers react negatively to pregnant women to a large extent.
Via the link to the website above, women can indicate which pregnancy discrimination at work, or other problems they experience during their pregnancy at work. Are you unsure whether there really is discrimination? Then you can have it tested.
The poll has so far mainly shown that managers are not very tolerant and do not hide this. Laurien Koster:“What we hear about statements borders on the unbelievable. Women get reactions to their pregnancy like:'You should all be forced to go on the contraceptive injection', or 'We hire all kinds of people, but pregnant you really can't do that'. That also happens during job interviews when you are pregnant.” There are even companies that include a clause regarding pregnancy in their contract:'if you become pregnant or if you turn out to be a mother at this point, this contract will be terminated immediately'. That is really forbidden, and also downright rude.
Read also :Applying for a pregnancy:tips for a double challenge
“Every year, more than 65,000 women experience pregnancy discrimination at work, consciously or unconsciously. “All these responses in such a short time (one month) make it clear that the subject is alive,” says Laurien Koster. In 2012 the Institute conducted its first research into discrimination against pregnant women in the labor market. The follow-up study, in 2016, shows that many pregnant women still face discrimination at work.
Earlier research into this discrimination against pregnant women by the Institute (formerly the Equal Treatment Commission) in 2012 showed that more than 45% of working women had negative experiences with pregnancy in relation to work. Shockingly, little has changed in those numbers in the 2016 survey. 43% of women who combine pregnancy and work still experience pregnancy discrimination at work. Below you can read more about what exactly pregnancy discrimination at work can mean.
Pregnancy discrimination is treating a woman negatively during her job application or during her work because of her pregnancy, early motherhood or the desire to have children. Other common forms of discrimination against women in the workplace are unequal pay and limited advancement to higher positions.
For example, the Institute's research shows the following. According to the results, 1 in 10 women has experienced that they have been explicitly rejected for a position because of their pregnancy, motherhood or the wish to have children. And 1 in 5 women suspect that they did not get the job because of these reasons. Do you have doubts about whether there is pregnancy discrimination at work in your situation? Then read through the characteristics below, and read more about it on the website of the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights.
The situations outlined in the campaign are common, but not always as recognizable as discrimination for the person concerned. For example, the supervisor monitors the performance of the employee more critically.
Clear examples of discrimination include:
• Contract that is not renewed while the job is available
• No salary increase due to pregnancy
• Not being able to return to your own position after childbirth
• Leave days should be taken as holidays
If you have experience, you can visit the above website. And if you want to share your story:we, and many women with us, would love to hear it!
