New Push to Protect Pregnant Women So Working Moms Aren’t Left Behind
Expectant mothers may no longer have to choose between risking their pregnancy and keeping their jobs, thanks to a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The 6–3 ruling favored Peggy Young, who sued her employer, UPS, back in 2008 after it refused her request for lighter work to accommodate her pregnancy, forcing her to take unpaid leave instead. Lower courts had dismissed her claim that UPS violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, but the latest ruling means that Young can take her case back to lower courts to sue the parcel delivery company under the allegation of discrimination.
This decision has lit a fire under Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn, who doesn’t think the Court’s ruling offers enough protection.
“It still leaves too much uncertainty for other pregnant workers, who still face significant challenges under today’s decision,” Casey said in a press release Wednesday. He has pledged to renew his push of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which he will introduce to budget proceedings in the Senate.
That legislation would leave little wiggle room for employers attempting to refuse modified work. It outlaws discrimination and demands accommodations for pregnant workers, including more frequent bathroom breaks and allowing cashiers to sit on a stool while on the job.
While the necessary steps to protect women while they’re pregnant are moving in the right direction, those same women lose workplace protection once they become mothers.
The pay gap widens as women move into childbearing years. Whereas women between the ages of 25 to 34 make 10 percent less than their male peers, women ages 35 to 45 make 22 percent less, according to a 2014 study from University of Massachusetts professor Michelle Budig, who looked into the impact of children on wage inequality.
Along with having to forgo promotions in favor of a more flexible schedule, with employees granted little incentive to help out working mothers, simply having a child means taking a pay cut. On average mothers see a decrease of about 4 percent in pay per child. After taking into consideration experience, education, and hours, Budig proposed that it comes down to discrimination, in which employers see mothers as easily distracted and less committed.
To throw salt in the wound, men often get an average 6 percent bonus when they bring home a new bundle of joy. Mothers might be thought of as less competent, but employers see men as more reliable now that they’re anchored by fatherhood.
Related stories on TakePart:
• Female Nurses Are Shocked That They’re Making Less—a Lot Less—Than Male Nurses
• In Some States, Women Will Earn Less Than Men for a Century to Come
• Google Knows What Pregnant Women Around the World Really Want
Original article from TakePart
