Even though women have been acquiring labor rights since the early 1900s, and we can now consider them independent, pregnancy is still a matter of debate. Motherhood, as incredible and desired as it is for many women, can turn into a nightmare for many because of their employment status and career aspirations. 

Women often turn to competent bodies to demand the obvious, aka, to have rights at work as working mothers, or rather, to take it from the beginning, not to be laid off when pregnancy comes. Unfortunately, it is common for women to be laid off because of their pregnancy or after the birth of their child. It is also more common to face difficulties in their research for a job, especially when they are in their reproductive years, considering that employers often avoid hiring women for fear of them getting pregnant. 

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, a federal law of 1978, prohibits employment discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions in the US, and the European Union (EU) has several laws that protect pregnant workers and new mothers, including the Pregnant Workers Directive and the Work-life Balance Directive. However, data shows that 1 in 5 mothers report experiencing pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.   

The problem is more prevalent in the private sector, even in large multinational corporations, where women are —illegally— required to state before they are hired that they will not become pregnant, or if they do, they will voluntarily resign. Another tactic several businesses use is forcing them to resign as soon as they announce their pregnancy. In extreme cases, employers still propose abortion as a "solution." Scary, right? Social media is full of terrifying stories of women who got pregnant, and they had to face such behaviors, even though the legislation prohibits them.

Also, a significant number of employers, in order not to break the law and face the legal consequences, find excuses to terminate pregnant women, justifying the termination with poor performance or simply by eliminating their role in the company. A loophole that many employers use and refrains women from claiming their rights.

Countries worldwide have taken measures to strengthen motherhood, and some laws aim to protect working mothers. However, the problem is not on paper since many irregularities and iniquities happen —and women can’t always fight back. One would expect that the problem could be easily solved with an attorney. However, many women are scared of confronting such cases for fear of being targeted for acting in bad faith, hence making it challenging to get another job or because they don’t have the financial means to do so.

Given the circumstances, the announcement of their pregnancy creates an enormous amount of stress for pregnant women, as they fear that their pregnancy will compromise their career, and given that a baby comes with a lot of extra expenses, they dread not being able to go back to work as soon as they are able. Consequently, pregnancy becomes a source of stress rather than a source of happiness. 

As a result, many women put their family planning on hold for fear of destroying their careers and ending up unemployed. And who can blame them? Studies have shown that on average, mothers earn less than childless women with similar qualifications or they are less likely to be promoted or receive raises. And let’s not forget that there can be unconscious biases against mothers, with assumptions that they are less committed or competent, depriving them of their right to a fulfilling career.

And, the truth is that many countries lack sufficient support systems for working parents, such as affordable childcare, flexible work arrangements, and paid parental leave, which makes it even more difficult for mothers to be able to focus on their careers without neglecting their children.

**The Other Side**

There is a lot of debate from both sides as to how pregnancy affects both parties —the mother and the employer. Let's look at the arguments of the other side. 

Employers argue that it is financially suffocating to pay someone who is not providing any service for such a long time. Also, in the event that they need to hire someone to cover for the pregnant woman, it will be challenging to hire a new person for a specific amount of time and who will probably be terminated after the woman returns to work. And it will still be financially unbearable. At the same time, the woman, who has been away for a long time, would need time to adjust and adapt to work and follow the business's pace, especially when discussing rapidly evolving environments.

I could judge these arguments harshly since they seem ridiculous often, given that we are talking about a legal framework that includes the labor rights of all workers. However, I will leave the possibility that some small businesses may struggle to keep up with such costs. Times are tough, so it’s not easy to blame small businesses that don’t have the financial luxury to hire more employees. Anyhow, they undoubtedly have a legal obligation to respond worthily to the needs of a pregnant or working mother and not resort to extreme behaviors. I will, therefore, trace the problem back to the state itself. Of course, there are laws that support women, but who will support small businesses afterward? If we want to be fair, we should look at both sides and understand that they are both in a situation that makes things difficult for them. And the state supports women’s rights, which is of high importance, but doesn’t support small businesses to be able to support those women; and the vicious cycle continues.

All that is happening around women's labor rights is a chain of problems, mistakes, and mismanagement, and you don't know which one to solve first. And the same happens for every social problem we come across. However, I am not interested in elaborating on what each government should do but on what we can do. 

And we must not tolerate such behaviors. It is a woman's right to want to start a family and not have to lose her job or not be able to find one. Women who face ill-treatment by employers due to pregnancy or maternity should report these incidents and claim their rights. How do we build a healthy society if women raise their children in poor conditions? The solutions are there; it's just that employers don’t want to collaborate to solve them. We hope that the state and organizations will continue to support pregnant and working mothers, not only with laws but also with actions.

On the other hand, we ourselves must not close our eyes to the mistreatment of workers so that it becomes clear that workers, men and women, have rights that must be respected at all costs. Or else, what kind of a democracy are we? Only on paper?