Despite legislative measures taken to protect their rights, pregnant women at work still experience a high amount of discrimination. Recently, representatives of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission stated the need for greater diligence in both clarifying the law and spreading the word to employers about how to properly treat their pregnant employees.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 was passed by the United States Congress as an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Sexual discrimination in any environment was to include discrimination against pregnant women. Employers were not to hire, fire, promote, pay or assign based on whether an employee was pregnant. In fact, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 ruled that pregnancy be considered a temporary disability. Pregnant women at work should be treated in the same way as any other employee would be treated, except that they were allowed 4 months of maternity leave.
If you are interested in more information about the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, you can contact a sexual harassment lawyer in California with ample knowledge of sexual discrimination law. Various pregnancy discrimination laws since 1978 have, according to many employers and state officials, created confusion about how to legally handle a pregnant employee. Such legislature includes clauses written into the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Some human resource officials have gone as far as saying that some laws seem to contradict one another. A sexual harassment lawyer in California will be able to point out these gray areas and help you protect yourself legally.
A federal hearing this month revealed testimonies calling for the clarification of guidelines for handling pregnant women at work. In addition, employers needed to be informed about changes to pregnancy discrimination laws and updated greater publicity for the issue. Taking legal measures as such would save the state, and many employers, millions of dollars in reimbursements for damages caused by sexual discrimination in the workplace. This estimate was given by legal representatives of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In recent years, pregnancy discrimination at work has included being fired from a position, being forced to leave work without pay, not being allowed to pump breast milk at work and not being assigned to certain types of work. If you need help with a case of pregnancy discrimination at work in California, you can elicit the legal assistance of a good sexual harassment lawyer. California is a state that thrives with businesses for many pregnant women, but employers are not always in the know about proper due process. A sexual harassment lawyer in California will surely be able to defend you if you think you may be a victim of sexual discrimination.
Though sources have suggested that pregnancy discrimination at work is much more prevalent among female workers with low-income jobs, anybody can be affected by sexual discrimination. An experienced sexual harassment lawyer in California will dedicate himself to helping any pregnant women in need of a fair hearing.