50 per cent of women say that they have been subjected to pregnancy discrimination in the workplace, according to a new study.
Furthermore, a third claim that employers have treated them unfavourably or unfairly after they either requested – or returned from – maternity leave.
The data comes from the Equality Commission in Northern Ireland – and echoes previous research carried out by the Centre for Economic Performance earlier this year which claimed that an increasing number of UK mothers felt ‘forced out of work’ after having a child.
Their research, which was compiled via analysis of Government statistics, suggested that approximately one in nine working mothers, or 54,000 women, feel ‘forced out of work’ every single year.
Dr Evelyn Collins, Chief Executive of the Equality Commission of Northern Ireland said that ongoing studies into pregnancy-related discrimination continue to reveal “shocking” and “unacceptable” results.
Research from the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) carried out in recent months revealed that one in every five UK mothers believe that they have been passed over for promotion, while a further one in ten have been refused a pay rise following a pregnancy.
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