(TOPIC FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT Chapter 8 -The Civil Rights Act of 1991, Glass Ceiling, Pregnancy Discrimination)
Pregnant at Work? Why Your Job Could Be at Risk
Link to the IMDiversity website through this link. After reading the article, write a 3 paragraph response (in your own words) for each question.
- What was the amount of financial damages cited in this article related to pregnancy discrimination?
It is not surprising then that with an increasing number of pregnant women in the workplace, there are also many cases filed against employers who discriminate against them. For instance, many employers do not give the necessary incentives but do just the opposites because they do not want their profits to decrease because of maternity leaves and related issues.
- Is there any legitimate reason that an employer should limit a pregnant woman's ability to perform her job? Why or why not? Cite your sources.
There should not be any legitimate reason that an employer should limit a pregnant woman’s ability to perform her job except under exceptional circumstances (e.g., legally/mandated paid maternity leave).
Some pregnant women are their family’s breadwinners or co-earners that is why they do as much as they could not to be demoted or lose their jobs simply because they are pregnant. If not for that underlying reason, they would prefer to have a more comfortable and convenient way of taking care of their babies inside their wombs. Because they cannot help but help in the finances of their families, they have to work.
For me, there should instead be safeguards to protect pregnant women against forced yet unpaid leave. Pregnant women should rather have special privileges because of their plight. Hence, the government and its concerned agencies should enforce the laws better and create new policies to help more pregnant employees, as well as, employers by being affected due to maternity absences/leaves. To help both parties (employers and pregnant employees), there should be tax appropriation specifically intended for pregnancy/maternity. Doing this will benefit companies and their employees; thus, avoiding anything that would decrease the profit of the organization and that would put at risk the life of both mothers and babies. Should this type of arrangement be taken into account, I think that, likewise, the government will have much of the advantages.
- According to the text, which jobs have experienced the greatest amount of growth with women in the workforce?
According to the text, the jobs that have experienced the greatest amount of growth with women in the workplace are “[p]erhaps those most affected [] who can least weather job loss: low-wage workers in the services industry, where work schedules can be inflexible or completely unpredictable” (Rochman, 2012).
Lower-wage workers in the service industry are the most affected because they have no other recourse but to work just to earn a living for their family. Even when they are discriminated against, all they can do is to file their case. In case they are paid for damages, there is a better chance for them to continue working and to have, subsequently, fair treatment from their employers.
Only through better law-enforcement will these women in the workplace become better protected – whether they are low-level earners or not. In the first place, they should not be discriminated simply because they are pregnant. Instead, their rights should be guaranteed by having the equal opportunities to earn for themselves and their family members.
References
Hicks, J. (2012, October 29). Number of Discrimination Suits Soar. Retrieved from IMDiversity: http://imdiversity.com/channels/hr/number-of-discrimination-suits-soar/
Rochman, B. (2012, February 16). Pregnant at Work? Why Your Job Could Be at Risk. Retrieved from Family Matters: http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/16/pregnant-at-work-why-your-job-could-be-at-risk/
