Unfortunately, one of the most common challenges women face in the workplace is pregnancy discrimination. Pregnancy discrimination occurs when a woman is treated unfairly due to pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition related to pregnancy. Thankfully, there are state and federal laws that protect women from pregnancy discrimination.
Our California employment law attorneys explain the laws pertaining to pregnancy discrimination so that you have the tools you need to protect yourself.
California Pregnancy Discrimination Laws
According to the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), employers have responsibilities to uphold for pregnant employees. Some of the responsibilities include:
- Reasonably accommodate your medical needs related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions (such as temporarily modifying your work duties, providing you with a stool or chair, or allowing more frequent breaks)
- Transfer you to a less strenuous or hazardous position or work duties because of your pregnancy
- Provide you with pregnancy disability leave (PDL) of up to four months (the working days you normally would work in one-third of a year or 17 1/3 weeks) and return you to your same job when you are no longer disabled by your pregnancy
- Provide a reasonable amount of break time and use of a room or other location in close proximity to the employee’s work area to express breast milk in private as set forth in the Labor Code
- Never discriminate, harass, or retaliate on the basis of pregnancy
What Should I Do If I Experience Pregnancy Discrimination?
If your employer has not followed the DFEH guidelines or has discriminated against you because of your pregnancy, you can file a claim against your employer. Filing a claim against your employer will help you receive compensation for their wrongdoing and can help prevent a similar incident from occurring to another employee in the future. If you have questions about getting started on your claim, contact our team at Polaris Law Group. We have years of experience helping employees across California solve their employment issues.
Contact us today at (888) 796-4010 to schedule a confidential consultation!