Pregnancy Discrimination

In June, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) of the U.S. Department of Labor issued a final rule revising prohibitions against sex discrimination (including pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment) in guidelines for federal contractors. Though the law has dramatically developed over the years, these guidelines have largely remained unchanged since 1970 when Richard […]

Under federal law, Title VII, failing to accommodate a pregnant employee’s restrictions may be illegal, depending on the circumstances. A violation of the law would be especially clear if male or nonpregnant female employees with similar physical limitations are accommodated while pregnant employees are told they cannot get help. This situation recently led to a sex

Losing your job to a person who is not pregnant, solely because of your pregnancy, would violate state and federal law. In these situations, employers may try to cover up their motivation by claiming there is not enough work, laying off a pregnant employee, and quietly replacing her. Employers may also fabricate reasons to fire

If you have been fired or suffered an adverse employment action like a demotion or pay cut because you are pregnant, your employer may have violated federal and state laws. Those laws prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and sex. These laws are meant to discourage employers from acting as if an employee

It is illegal to be discriminated against in employment and your education if the reason is bias against you because you belong to a protected class. Depending on the facts, an internship may or may not be considered employment. In one case, a Michigan woman, Tina Varlesi, successfully claimed that her internship was affected by

If you’re experiencing a pregnancy with complications, you may be unable to perform the substantive responsibilities of your job. In such situations, you may be considered “disabled” and receive discrimination protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). But, depending on the facts of your employment situation, your employer may legally refuse to

Many types of discrimination are illegal under federal law, such as discrimination based on race, age, disability, and pregnancy. However, many states also have their own antidiscrimination laws. One such state is Maryland. The Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act (FEPA) prohibits, among other things, discrimination based on pregnancy. Sara Siddiqui v. Chesapeake NetCraftsmen Sara Siddiqui