Working mothers and mothers-to-be have historically faced many more challenges and instances of workplace discrimination than their counterparts. Even today, in 2015, pregnancy discrimination in the workplace is rampant. But in recent months, there have been positive signs that the times may be changing. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled in the Young vs. UPS case that pregnant employees must be treated the same as nonpregnant employees unless there is a clear nondiscriminatory reason. Just this week, Netflix announced that it would be offering unlimited parental leave to new moms and dads. And on July 20, AutoZone announced it would drop its challenge to a $186 million pregnancy discrimination verdict.
The $186 million award was a huge and unprecedented win for the fight against pregnancy discrimination. Although AutoZone initially intended to fight the $186 million award, it dropped the appeal on July 20. Rosario Juarez, an employee in one of the AutoZone San Diego branches, initially brought the lawsuit after being told by AutoZone higher-ups that she could no longer perform her job due to her pregnancy. She was demoted and eventually fired. Read her full story.
