DOWNLOAD PDF OF “THE PANDEMIC & THE PREGNANT WORKERS FAIRNESS ACT” HERE
With women exiting the workforce in the millions, Congress must act without delay to ensure pregnant workers, especially those in frontline, low-wage and physically demanding jobs, get the accommodations they need to stay healthy and attached to the workforce.
Recent analysis from A Better Balance from our updated Long Overdue report shows:
- Current federal law is failing pregnant workers. Gaps in the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act remain even in 2021 and are still leaving women without the accommodations they need to stay healthy and working, with approximately 2/3 of workers still losing their Pregnancy Discrimination Act accommodations cases under the current legal framework.
- Due to these gaps in federal law, pregnant workers continue to be forced off the job when they need simple accommodations to keep working. We know this firsthand from our legal helpline, hearing from hundreds of pregnant workers throughout the pandemic (and thousands in the years pre-pandemic) who left their jobs due to inhospitable workplaces.
- Pregnancy accommodations are one critical solution to keep women attached to the workforce and healthy during pregnancy and the post-partum period. Over the last year, racial justice and maternal health equity organizations have been outspoken in emphasizing how accommodations are one crucial way to address this country’s shameful Black maternal health crisis.
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is an urgent measure to promote women’s workforce participation and ensure pregnant workers do not have to choose between their job and healthy pregnancy.
Read the full “2021 Issue Brief: The Pandemic & The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act”:
