Survey shows mothers feel discriminated against at work

A recent survey by law firm Slater & Gordon has found that over a quarter of mothers in the UK feel discriminated against at work. Of 1,975 women surveyed, a third said they found it impossible to climb the career ladder and over half said their employer could do more to support working mums, even though 35% of those surveyed felt they worked harder since having children.

A separate surveyed conducted in July by One Poll also found that  35% of the mothers questioned across the UK said their workplace was not supportive of their situation when they were pregnant and 31% felt they were not well treated by their employer while on maternity leave.

Some 27% said they had felt under pressure to return to work earlier than they wanted to, and on returning to work 29% felt they had been overlooked for a promotion because they had responsibilities as a mother.

England's employment minister Jo Swinson reiterated that it’s illegal to sack a woman because she is pregnant or on maternity leave. “Such action constitutes pregnancy discrimination and could result in an employer in front of an employment tribunal," she said, "the government is committed to making sure that more businesses make the best use of women's talents throughout the organisation, from boardroom to the shop floor. This is why from April 2015 we're introducing shared parental leave and pay which will allow couples to choose how they share care for their child in the first year after birth."

If you feel you’ve been discriminated at work due to pregnancy or maternity leave please contact Ashley Hunt, Carrie-Ann Randall or Vaishali Thakerar at Lawson-West on 0116 212 1000.

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