Beyond the Bump: Pregnancy Signals Customer Centricity

Zheng (Nico) Liao, Xiangyun Zhang and Sharon Ng

Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2026, vol. 11, issue 4, 440 - 455

Abstract: Pregnant employees are common in customer-facing roles, yet little is known about how consumers respond to visible pregnancy cues in service encounters. While existing research emphasizes negative stereotypes about pregnant employees, we offer an alternative view: pregnancy can enhance perceived customer centricity. Across six preregistered studies, we show that consumers perceive a pregnant (compared to a nonpregnant) service employee as more customer-centric and are therefore more likely to use the service. The enhanced perceived customer centricity occurs because consumers infer that the pregnant service employee is more likely to take their perspective. We further explore situations where this effect may not hold. Our findings challenge the notion of pregnancy as a liability and advance understanding of body-based social inferences in service settings. We offer practical insights for managers and policymakers seeking to foster marketplace inclusion.

Date: 2026
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