Workplace Discrimination Against Pregnant and Postpartum Employees: Links to Well-Being

Kimberly T. Schneider (), Sarah C. Williams and Rory E. Kuhn
Additional contact information
Kimberly T. Schneider: Department of Psychology, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61761, USA
Sarah C. Williams: Department of Psychology, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61761, USA
Rory E. Kuhn: Department of Psychology, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61761, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: Pregnancy-related discrimination at work is a concern for many employees who navigate the pregnancy and postpartum stages of parenthood while working in the early-to-middle stages of their careers. Although there is legislation prohibiting pregnancy-related discrimination and ensuring accommodations postpartum, empirical evidence indicates many pregnant and postpartum employees still experience such behaviors. In this narrative review, we focus on describing the range of behaviors assessed in studies on pregnancy-related discrimination in several cultures, situating the occurrence of discrimination within theoretical frameworks related to stereotypes and gendered expectations. We also review evidence of employees’ postpartum experiences with a focus on the transition back to work, along with breastfeeding challenges related to pumping and storing milk at work. Regarding coping with pregnancy-related workplace discrimination and postpartum challenges during a return to work, we review the importance of social support, including instrumental and emotional support from allies and role models.

Keywords: pregnancy discrimination; postpartum experiences at work; working mothers; breastfeeding; intersectional identities and work; social support (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/8/1160/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/8/1160/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:8:p:1160-:d:1706986

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().