Pregnancy Discrimination Lawyers in San Francisco

Protecting the Rights of Employees to be Free from Pregnancy Discrimination

A woman’s ability or decision to get pregnant and have a child should never affect her career path. When Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), it prohibited employers from basing employment decisions on pregnancy-related reasons. Unfortunately, many employers continue to discriminate against women of child-bearing age for a variety of reasons that violate the employee’s or applicant’s rights. 

If you suspect that your employer or a potential employer violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and/or California state law, you should contact the law firm of Minnis & Smallets. Our pregnancy discrimination lawyers in San Francisco can evaluate your rights and help hold wrongful employers accountable for discrimination. 

An Overview of Pregnancy Discrimination

The law prohibits employers from unfairly treating an applicant or employee because of a pregnancy-related reason. For decades, employers assumed that a woman would not return to work after having a child, or that a pregnant woman would be distracted and not as capable of doing her job. Employees should no longer have to tolerate unfavorable treatment because of the highly personal decision to have a child or not.

Pregnancy discrimination can come in many forms, including the following:

• Inquiring about a woman’s ability or plans to get pregnant in an interview
• Deciding not to hire a woman who appears to be pregnant
• Refusing to promote or award a pay raise to a pregnant employee
• Delaying an earned pay increase or promotion until the pregnant employee returns to work after childbirth
• Giving a pregnant employee a less desirable schedule or assignments
• Requiring a pregnant employee to work in a less visible position
• Terminating an employee upon learning about her pregnancy
• Denying reasonable accommodations under the PDA

In some cases, employers will engage in harassment of pregnant employees. This can include making disparaging comments about someone’s pregnancy or pregnant appearance or engaging in offensive stereotypes of pregnant women.

Some forms of pregnancy discrimination are obvious, such as you tell your boss you are pregnant and then lose your job shortly thereafter. However, other acts of discrimination are not as overt. For example, if your boss learns you are pregnant, the employer may make subtle changes over the next few months that result in a less desirable work situation for you and a better situation for a non-pregnant co-worker. Some employers try to push pregnant employees out without terminating them outright, which is just another form of unlawful discrimination.

Consult with Our Pregnancy Discrimination Lawyers in San Francisco Today

No woman should ever have to experience pregnancy discrimination or feel like her decision to get pregnant or not get pregnant will affect her career. At the law firm of Minnis & Smallets, we stand up for the rights of employees who experience all types of discrimination, including based on sex, gender, and pregnancy. Contact us to consult with our pregnancy discrimination lawyers in San Francisco about your rights.