Pregnancy and Employment: A Literature Review - Crisis Pregnancy ...

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Published by the HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme and the Equality Authority May 2011 HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme 4th Floor 89 – 94 Capel Street Dublin 1 The Equality Authority Birchgrove House Roscrea Co. Tipperary 2 Clonmel Street Dublin 2 ISBN: 978-1-905199-27-3 The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the sponsors. ii
Foreword by the Acting Director of the HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme It gives great pleasure to introduce this literature review, part of a wider research project investigating the experience of being pregnant while in employment. The project was commissioned in 2008 by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA) in partnership with the Equality Authority to address an information gap on how workplace practices and culture can impact on women’s experiences of pregnancy. In 2010, the Crisis Pregnancy Agency was integrated into the Health Service Executive (HSE) and became the HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme (CPP) - a national programme working within Health Protection in the HSE. In recognition of the link between employment and pregnancy decision-making, pregnant employees are protected by EU directives, which rule that the entire period of pregnancy and maternity leave is a special protected period and which prohibits pregnancy-related dismissal on grounds of equality. Rulings from the European Court of Justice have recognised the harmful effects that the risk of dismissal can have on the physical and mental state of a pregnant woman, including the particularly serious risk that she can be prompted voluntarily to terminate her pregnancy. The aim of this review is to support the aims of the wider project by synthesising and highlighting a range of literature examining women’s experiences at work during pregnancy and their subsequent return to employment. The review identifies links between unfair treatment and inflexible workplace policies, negative employer and employee attitudes to pregnancy and maternity leave, and poor health during pregnancy. The findings highlight the important role of policy in mediating the effects of childbirth and childcare on women’s employment. I would like to thank the authors of the literature review, Dr Helen Russell and Dr Joanne Banks of the Economic and Social Research Institute, for their hard work throughout the project. I would like to thank the Board of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency for their involvement in the initiation of this important project. Lastly I would like to thank Laurence Bond, Head of Research with the Equality Authority and Dr Margret Fine- Davis, Director of the Social Attitude and Policy Research Group, TCD who sat on the Project’s Advisory Committee. I would also like to thank Caroline Spillane (former Director of the CPP) and Maeve O’Brien (CPP) for coordinating the research project. Dr. Stephanie O’Keeffe Acting Director HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme iii
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