Orange County Employment Lawyer

Pregnancy Discrimination

In addition to age, race, gender, and sexual orientation, pregnancy forms another quality often discriminated against in the workplace. Pregnancy discrimination occurs when expectant mothers are fired, not hired, or are otherwise discriminated against because of their pregnancy. Common forms of discrimination include not being hired because of pregnancy or intention to become pregnant, termination after pregnant status is disclosed, termination after maternity leave, and pay cuts due to pregnancy.

Pregnancy discrimination is on the rise in the United States, especially as more mothers with children enter the workplace. To counteract this trend, Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978 as an amendment to the sex discrimination category of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under Title VII, it is unlawful to discriminate on the base of pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical conditions.

Pregnant employees must be permitted to work as long as they are able to perform their jobs. If an employee is absent from work due to a pregnancy related condition and she recovers, the employer cannot force her to remain on leave until childbirth. All health insurance provided by employers must cover expenses for pregnancy related costs. Abortion coverage costs are not mandatory, unless the life of the mother is endangered. Employers must also provide the same amount of monetary coverage for spouses of both male and female employees. Pregnancy related expenses must be reimbursed in the same manner as those incurred for other medical conditions.

If you feel like you have been unfairly discriminated against because of a pregnancy, Contact experienced Orange County employment lawyers of Perry Smith today to discuss your legal options.