Last week I read an article on Women’s Agenda that made me clench my teeth and start to sweat – and not in a good way .
According to the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Annual Report, for the first time, pregnancy discrimination is now Australia’s number one complaint against employers, with pregnant women facing more discrimination than those with a disability. The report also found more people believe their family responsibilities see them treated differently by their bosses.
I can’t say I’m surprised. I started being treated differently by co-workers (only male – never female) as soon as I got married, let alone fell pregnant. It was an unexpected shock because, perhaps naively, I hadn’t even considered that getting married would automatically set off alarm bells about whether I was a ‘risky’ employee or not.
A year after I was married I went for a new job and in the interview the CEO looked at my engagement ring and said “I can see you’re married and I want to make it clear that we expect a three-year full-time commitment from you”. During a second interview starting a family was again brought up – not by me – and the CEO this time said: “From talking to you I think you’re the kind of woman who if you had a baby would only take six weeks off, and we’re OK with that if that’s the case”.
I didn’t take that job – even though I had wanted it before I’d met the CEO. Having a family was on the cards and I knew they would have made it difficult for me to work there so after weighing it up I decided it just wasn’t worth it. That same week in an interview for another job the CEO – another male – asked me straight up if I wanted to start a family soon. Who knew wearing a wedding ring was so scandalous?
After getting married I started to feel like I would be letting any employer down by having a child. I felt – quite unwittingly – that having a child would render my career experience to that point null and void. I felt guilty when I found out I was pregnant. In hindsight I recognise that’s a crazy emotion to have about bringing a child into the world but it was my first instinct.
Thankfully I took a job with an employer who was thrilled for me when I became pregnant, and has made it easy to return to work post-baby. I love the days I have in the office, which in many ways are easier than my days spent at home.
Employers have it wrong if they think a woman who may become pregnant, or one who actually does become pregnant, is automatically a risk. Having a child doesn’t negate a person’s employment history and it doesn’t mark the end of their contribution as a valuable employee. In many ways it can make a person’s contribution even more valuble.
Having children is intensely enriching and can make an employee more efficient, resourceful and masterful at time-management than before. It can also provide perspective – I am grateful for my days in the office because of the balance it brings to my life and my work reflects that.
In my case I believe the life lessons from pregnancy and having a baby have made me a much better employee than I was and I’m certain the same is true for many other parents. It’s a shame we still have a lot of work to do for other people to view it in the same way. Until they do though discrimination on the basis of pregnancy – even a potential pregnancy – will remain rife.