Find out what happened when the Women and Equalities Committee visited Portsmouth and Southsea NCT branch to talk to local mums about their experiences of discrimination in the workplace.
It’s a sad and wholly unacceptable fact that women continue to face widespread pregnancy and maternity discrimination in the workplace.
77% of working mothers reported discriminatory experiences.
The latest report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) revealed that 77% of working mothers reported potentially discriminatory or negative experiences and 10% of pregnant women reported that their employer discouraged them from attending antenatal appointments, putting their health and that of their unborn child at risk.
In response to the report, the government’s Women and Equalities Committee is conducting an inquiry to look at the action being taken to ensure that pregnant women and mothers are treated fairly.
As part of this work, we were delighted that MPs from the Women and Equalities Committee visited Portsmouth and Southsea NCT branch on 12 May to talk to local mums about their experiences of discrimination in the workplace.
This was a fantastic opportunity for NCT mums to voice their concerns and contribute to this inquiry.
Over a dozen mums attended the group meeting and with babes in arms, they shared their stories, put forward their concerns and offered recommendations on how to improve the maternity leave process.
The MPs were definitely given plenty of food for thought from Portsmouth and Southsea NCT branch! The stories and experiences of these mums will help shape the government’s inquiry on discrimination.
And we will continue to work with the committee on behalf of parents to help improve the experience of women going on maternity leave or returning to work.
You’ll find lots of information on our website about maternity leave and returning to work.
