Pregnant staff face new wave of bullying in recession

Maternity leave has always been problematic for female professionals. But in the teeth of recession, pregnant women - and working mothers - are under threat as never before.

... There is growing evidence that as redundancies rocket in the worst recession since the 1930s, women taking maternity leave face even worse discrimination than in happier economic times.

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Despite protective legislation, an estimated 30,000 women lose their jobs as a result of pregnancy every year without factoring in the economic downturn, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. No firm data exists on the impact of the credit crunch because the government is not compiling statistics and it is too early to identify an uptick in tribunal cases. But lawyers and campaign groups say the numbers suffering discrimination are rising sharply because employers see pregnant employees and mothers as soft targets. Those who complain are likely to be the tip of the iceberg, as many women are reluctant to make a fuss for fear of being branded a troublemaker.

Rosalind Bragg, director of charity Maternity Action, says: "We have seen an increase in the number of women being chosen for redundancy because they are pregnant, which is unlawful. We are very concerned that some unscrupulous employers are using the recession as an excuse to unfairly target pregnant women and women on maternity leave."