Pregnancy

Discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions is unlawful sex discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The prohibitions cover refusal to hire because of pregnancy, although the person can perform the necessary functions of the job. Additionally, treatment that would be given to any other employee is required for a pregnant worker in a variety of employment-related matters, including:

  • performance expectations
  • leave
  • holding the position open
  • health insurance
  • fringe benefits, such as bonuses

These rights apply to unmarried as well as married employees who are pregnant.

I am a police officer, and I have been assigned desk duty because I am pregnant. Is this discrimination?

Yes. The potential of injury to your unborn child is not a bona fide occupational qualification.

Our use of cookies

We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We would also like to set some optional cookies. We won't set these optional cookies unless you enable them. Please choose whether this site may use optional cookies by selecting 'On' or 'Off' for each category below. Using this tool will set a cookie on your device to remember your preferences.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our Cookie notice.

Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Functionality cookies

We'd like to set cookies to provide you with a better customer experience. For more information on these cookies, please see our cookie notice.