Corps Together – Pregnancy and Maternity

Why is pregnancy and maternity a protected characteristic?

Pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or expecting a baby. Maternity refers to the period after the birth and is linked to maternity leave in the employment context. In the work context, no one should be treated unfairly because they are pregnant or due to be expecting a baby, or when having maternity leave.

Types of Discrimination

Direct discrimination is when someone treats you worse than another person in a similar situation, because of your pregnancy or maternity. For example, you are not promoted at work, after going for a senior role and telling your employer that you are expecting a baby. . Your employer decides not to promote you, even though you are the best candidate for the job, because they do not want to pay the increased rate for your maternity leave. Or, upon returning from maternity leave, your job role has been changed significantly, structurally and financially, and leaves you at a disadvantage.
There are no specific laws in the Equality Act 2010 that cover indirect discrimination and harassment in relation to pregnancy and maternity. However, reference to sex discrimination may be better suited in these cases.

What does the Equality Act 2010 say about pregnancy and maternity?

The Equality Act says you must not be discriminated against:

Or treated unfavourably (differently) because you are pregnant, breastfeeding or you have given birth and are on maternity leave

Our Objectives

To be a supportive space for people who are pregnant or are expecting a baby, or who are having maternity and paternity)
To tackle any barriers to progression for colleagues who become pregnant, before and after their return to work.
To be a family friendly employer, that colleagues who are expecting, or upon return from maternity and paternity leave, feel they are supported by.

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Left to right: Comedian Rob Beckett, Michael Bullock (CEO) Andrea Strong (MD Corps Monitoring, Seetan Varsani (Divisional Director), Andrew Topp (Head of Sales and Marketing) Magdalena Jablonska El-Aasar (Head of HR)

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Talk to us…

The sole purpose of Corps Together is to engage with you, our colleagues, to understand the things that matter most and tailor our activities to help and support.

We would love to hear from you, so please get in touch to share knowledge, experiences, and new ideas freely.

You can also contact the team to discuss any issues or concerns you have regarding equality, diversity, and inclusion within our company.