The Baby Or The Job?
Posted by admin at 1:09 PM on August 5, 2008
A new report shows that employers are still stuck in the dark ages when it comes to hiring pregnant women, or women of childbearing age.
The latest figures from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission show 170 pregnant women across the country experienced discrimination in the last financial year, with some fired after taking time off to manage morning sickness.
As reported in the Sunday Telegraph, the Anti-Discrimination Board investigated one case where a pregnant cook employed by a NSW club was told by her boss to decide between keeping her baby and keeping her job. Charming.
Sadly, the story failed to evoke sympathy in news.com.au readers, with one commentor posting;
Why would any reasonable person expect an employer to hire someone who is virtually guaranteed to be absent soon after being employed and for whom that employer will have to find a temporary replacement? While on that topic, why would any employer want to pay a woman of child-bearing age the same as a man? On a risk-reward basis, the numbers just don’t add up.
It looks like gender equity in the workplace is still a long way off.
Image: news.com.au
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