The latest casualty of our economy seems to be motherhood. Judging by a rash of articles I’ve seen lately, it appears that many new mothers are returning to work sooner than they planned due to the economic slump and those who are pregnant are worried about the security of their jobs.
These new “Economoms” are opting to shorten their maternity leaves for several reasons. Some are feeling the financial strain of spouses who have been downsized or are earning less—others just want to build face-time with their employers to reinforce their own career commitments, as employers everywhere scrutinize their payrolls and employment rosters.
It’s natural for a pregnant woman to worry that she may be perceived as a weak link and at the top of the pink-slip food chain when it comes to who will go or who will stay. Still, an employer who makes this kind of a decision is breaking the law. Federal law prohibits firing a woman due to pregnancy under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). The FMLA guarantees that individuals who work for companies with 50 or more employees are entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave annually to care for a new baby or newly adopted baby. The PDA applies to employers with 15 or more employees and was designed to protect a worker from pregnancy-related discrimination.
The conundrum happens when others in the company are simultaneously laid off and the new mom or the mom-in-waiting is also one of the victims. If this happens to you and you believe your downsizing was unjust and that you were wrongfully terminated, your best defense is a good offense. Document your performance by keeping a file of annual performance reviews, letters of commendation, any internal or external communication that indicates your value to the organization and any awards you may have won. Good advice for any employee, not just those who are pregnant or on maternity leave.
It’s easy to understand the fear of losing one’s job in this marketplace. Moms who are home with their new babies typically keep some form of income stream coming in via a combination of short term disability, sick leave, personal days and unused vacation. The U.S. is one of only four countries in the world to not offer paid leave to new mothers, according to a 2004 Harvard University study of 168 nations. The others are Lesotho, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland.
Still, despite the stress, I really liked this response to a blog that questioned whether it is best to postpone a pregnancy in a recession. The woman wrote,
“We’re newly pregnant—due late October and while sure, I’m worried about the extra expenses and while I pray I’ll have a job to return to (just started a new one this year), we’re excited and this was a planned pregnancy. We’ve always said that there’s no perfect or right time to have a baby…I’m sure we’ll really be feeling the crunch more than we did with our first, but I refuse to let that extinguish the joy of a new baby.”
Nancy Schuman is a vice president at Lloyd Staffing, headquartered in Melville, and is the author of seven how-to books on career guidance and job-search techniques. Lloyd Staffing offers temporary, contract and full-time employment services on a regional and national basis. Send your career-related questions to [email protected].