Pregnancy in the Workplace

Pregnancy in the Workplace

While diversity is a norm in today's society and we have come a long way, some level of discrimination still exists. Inclusion is one of the reasons that companies succeed. It is understood that the inclusion of a variety of individuals with various backgrounds is beneficial, especially considering the diversity of businesses customers. Diversity and discrimination doesn't necessarily pertain specifically to age, race, gender, etc. There are secondary diversity and discriminating factors such as sexual orientation, class, education and even pregnancy. Companies should take these factors into consideration for their employees, but do not necessarily do so. For instance, pregnancy, for many women who wish to work, is a choice that could impact their careers. The desire to reproduce is part of human nature, however for many companies and businesses this poses a discrepancy in their productivity because of all the factors related or associated with females and pregnancy that do not apply to men. The following information will discuss the legal aspect of pregnancy in the workplace that will include a short analysis of the issue and ways to manage this diversity issue in the work environment.

An article in the Denver Business Journal "Ex-Post Worker will get $75K to settle lawsuit" (Denver Business Journal, 2007) discusses the legal ramifications of a Denver newspaper that was sued for pregnancy discrimination by a woman who was fired six months into her pregnancy despite all she offered and success she brought to the newspaper. This individual, worked for the newspaper for three years, was an experienced advertising manager and in the year previous to her departure had earned $24,000 in bonuses and raised more than $9,000 and was dubbed a 'super star' (Denver Business Journal, 2007). The same individual who praised her also fired her under allegations of poor management style despite the fact that her management style had not changed nor had her performance; the only differentiating factor was her pregnancy. Given all information provided, the judge found the newspaper guilty of pregnancy discrimination and therefore not only awarded the individual a monetary settlement, but also mandated that the newspaper conduct proper training for all managers and employees about gender and pregnancy discrimination (Denver Business Journal, 2007).

Due to continual shifting of the political parties, many laws governing employees and employers are constantly changing. In fact, in 1964 Title VII, the Civil Rights Act was established prohibiting workplace discrimination. Title VII was then amended in 1978 incorporating the Pregnancy Discrimination Act prohibiting any discrimination on the basis of pregnancy in the workplace (U.S. EEOC, 1993). This was also supported by the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, which allows employees and employers who meet specific criteria the right to take leave for child birth/adoption,