‘We can’t accept that so many women have to deal with pregnancy discrimination, can we?’

The 2020 study produced even more shocking figures: 1 in 5 women are rejected when applying for a job because of her pregnancy, a quarter of women miss out on a salary increase, promotion or training from the employer, and only one third of women recognize her experience as pregnancy discrimination. Only 11 percent raise the alarm.

So a big problem. Why are you working hard for this?

“I sometimes say that I only really became a feminist during my pregnancy, because it was then that I really started to realize how big the differences still are between men and women on the labor market. Around me I notice that there is little knowledge about pregnancy discrimination, while so many working women are affected to some extent by this problem. 43 percent of women is an absurdly high percentage. We can’t accept that, can we?

Discrimination during pregnancy has long-term effects on society and inequality, such as the pay gap between men and women. As a municipal councilor and party leader of the PvdA Amsterdam, I am in discussion with many organizations on this subject. There is a lot of ignorance, but certainly no malice. Everyone acknowledges that pregnancy discrimination is undesirable, but not every organization has an active policy to combat discrimination.”

Partly through your own experiences, you have become involved with this theme. What kind of experiences do you mean?

“It was about two things. During my pregnancy I found out that as a council member you have to temporarily resign when you go on maternity leave. You will be reimbursed and you can come back after 16 weeks. This is regulated by the electoral law. So I had to write a letter of resignation to the mayor because I was pregnant. That felt really crazy, like the 50s.

The work as a councilor is part-time. When I returned to the job I had next to it, it turned out that the work situation had changed during my leave. I had to report to a colleague who had the same position before my leave. I raised that then, because I felt it had to do with my leave, but I didn’t feel seen. It’s already a vulnerable period: you’ve just had a child, you’re not sleeping well, it’s exciting to go back to work, and then you also find out that something like this was decided in your absence. And yet you have a voice in the back of your head that asks: am I complaining, is it just me? But no, it’s not okay for something like that to happen.”

You discussed the situation with friends. How did they react?

“It struck me that almost every woman had this kind of story. For example, that she didn’t get a promotion because she went on leave, or that her position no longer existed when she came back. The stories were then almost justified by saying: ‘But yes, I went on leave’, as if they had to solve it. We need to talk about a system error, not about women who are out for a few months for a very good reason.”

Read also: ‘All women should be able to take paid maternity leave from 30 weeks’

It’s 2023. Why is pregnancy discrimination still such a big deal, do you think?

“I think that is a difficult question. What may play a role is that – at least for a relatively short time – it has become normal for women to work. As a working woman you still get questions like: don’t you work too much? We have come a long way on equality, but we still have a long way to go. Being able to work alone as a woman is not enough, we also have to look at the injustice in the system. The fact that I have to resign when I am pregnant is a concrete example of such a system error.

And we need to talk to each other. There are thousands of articles online about feeding and sleeping a baby, but information about your rights as a mother is rare. We should think more about the woman and what motherhood does to her. The less rosy sides are more difficult to discuss, but no less important for that. By being more aware of your rights, you can better claim them or at least have a conversation with your employer.”

What can we do to combat pregnancy discrimination?

“That starts with acknowledging the problem. An organization then has to look at how they are contributing to that problem, and how they can adjust the policy to combat discrimination. As an employer, talk to your employees. Ask employees who had children a little longer ago how they experienced it at the time. Employers must also think much more actively about how they can return people to the organization as properly and fairly as possible after maternity or sick leave. That is their duty.”

You can do this yourself

Are you facing pregnancy discrimination? First of all, try to talk to your manager and go through your rights and obligations together. You can also ask a confidential adviser or works council for advice. Doesn’t that work? Then you can (anonymously) make a report to the College for Human Rights or ask for advice from organizations, such as the women’s legal advice center in Amsterdam. Curious about your rights and obligations during your pregnancy? Women Inc. listed them on this page.

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