Young Moms Suffer the Worst Discrimination during Pregnancy at Work: Study

In a recent study, it was showcased that young working women, who informs the employer about their pregnancy, faces a discrimination at work, sometimes leading to quit their job. According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), women aged under 25 are normally sacked once they tell the company that they are pregnant. They are also the one discourage attednding office and sometimes is given unsuitable workloads to suffer from stress during their pregnancy.

Employer companies often make their stand clear by saying that at this time women goes through several pregnancy related sickness. Antenatal illnesses often require extra leave, more care and passing of work load to their male colleagues creating grievances. So the pregnant women are dismissed or sacked and affect devastatingly on a young women’s career.

Women, being mother, is still considered as the primary caregiver to the kids in this male dominated system. Therefore, a dismissal from work creates a repercussion for a lifetime following the discrimination young women goes through pregnancy and maternity. Also, as sources have depicted, pregnant mothers has to balance the high cost of childcare and equally have to  perform at work combating their peers so that they do not have to experience unpaid work.

Women are still, in 2015, ‘are victimized, exploited and prevented from succeeding by our male-centric, capitalist culture.’ A social and cultural shift is necessary to improve attitudes towards women, especially those who are pregnant and requires extra care.

As the worst is being faced by young and pregnant women across the world, meanwhile,  Turkey has announced their first action plan for women employment to increase their participation in the labor force. The action plan was launched at the International Labor Organization (ILO) office in Turkey on May 17. The programme will be implemented by the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR). Allowing women in the workforce, particularly Turkey being a Muslim-dominated country is obviously an achievement. The action plan have two distinct goals, one, to take account of vocational and orientation towards jobs for increasing women’s employment and two, increasing women’s means to access to the labor market.

While 7 percent of women in the country do not participate in the labor force are ready to work but they do not actively search a job for different social and cultural norms. “Of the total number of women not participating in the labor force, 1.3 percent have lost hope of finding employment, while 57.3 percent cite being busy with housework, reports said. Hope continues with it to cultivate for working women despite of their age and physical condition.