Employee Pregnancy

Is employee pregnancy still seen as taboo?

If you were five months into your pregnancy and applied for a job, do you think you would get it? No, probably not. Both potential employer and employee may justify this situation as unfair. The employer may think this is unfair on them because the employee will soon need maternity leave, they will have to find a replacement worker and pay for the employee's leave etc. The potential employee may feel it is unfair because they don't necessarily want paid maternity leave and are suitably experienced for the position. But what happens when you are not even pregnant? What happens when you get discriminated against because of your age and your pregnancy potential? As sex discrimination claims in Australia are on the decline, pregnancy and potential pregnancy discrimination claims are on the rise. What does this mean for Generation X, Y and Beyond who are now entering the workforce? Even if a woman does want a child and have the potential to create one, there is no justification for employment based on an employers conception of an employee's biological function.