Pregnancy and maternity

The rights set out in this section apply to all categories of staff who may work in a business, including workers, employees, contractors, partners or a director, but not volunteers. It doesn't matter how many hours you work to be protected by anti-discrimination legislation. For more information, see Employees, workers and the self-employed.

The Equality Act 2010 provides that your employer can't treat you less favourably because:

• You are pregnant
• You have suffered from a pregnancy-related illness
• You are on compulsory maternity leave
• You are on ordinary or additional maternity leave
• You have exercised or intend to exercise your right to take ordinary or additional maternity leave

Discrimination in the workplace is unlawful in all aspects of employment, including the recruitment process, status, training, promotion and transfer opportunities, redundancy, dismissal and even post-employment.

Types of discrimination

Direct discrimination

This is where your employer treats you less favourably than you were treated before you became pregnant or before you exercised (or planned to exercise) your statutory maternity leave rights. You don't need to compare yourself with another worker.

For example, it may be direct discrimination if you are sacked because you told your employer that you are pregnant or might start a family.

It also may occur if a recruitment decision contains a discriminatory statement, even when there's not an active recruitment process underway and no identifiable victim.

Your employer could be liable for a direct discrimination claim even if there was no intention to discriminate against you.

Your employer can't defend a direct discrimination claim by justifying it (arguing that their actions were a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim). The only defence would be to prove that there was no discrimination.

Victimisation

Victimisation happens when you are being treated less favourably because:

• You have asserted your rights not to be discriminated against because you are pregnant or have exercised (or intend to exercise) your rights to maternity leave and you have made a complaint
• You gave evidence in a complaint of discrimination because of pregnancy or the right to maternity leave
• You did anything else under the Equality Act
• You alleged that someone has contravened the provisions regarding discrimination because of pregnancy or the right to maternity leave in the Equality Act
• Your employer believes that you have done or may do any of these things

For example, you might have been subjected to victimisation, if, because you have taken one of the above actions, you are prevented from going on training courses, or unfair disciplinary action is taken against you, or you are excluded from company social events.

Positive action

Positive action in training and applying for particular positions

If an employer reasonably thinks that a group of its workers who share a protected characteristic (race, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, disability or religion or belief) either...

• suffer a disadvantage connected to their protected characteristic,
• have needs that are different from the needs of those who do not have their protected characteristic, or
• have a disproportionately low participation in an activity, such as partaking in training activities, doing particular work or filling particular posts in an employer's workforce,

...then the employer can take any proportionate action which, either; enables or encourages the group of workers to overcome or minimise their disadvantage; meets their needs; or enables or encourages them to participate in the activity.

Employers are allowed to provide special training to members of the group. They can also encourage members of the group to apply to do particular work or fill posts (for example, by saying that applications from them will be particularly welcome).

This does not mean that employers can discriminate in favour of the members of the group when it comes to choosing people to do the work or fill the posts, unless they meet the circumstances described below under 'Positive action in recruitment and for promotions', as that could be unlawful discrimination.

Positive action is not the same as 'positive discrimination', which is where members of a particular group who have a protected characteristic are treated more favourably regardless of the circumstances.

Positive action in recruitment and for promotions

The Equality Act 2010 makes it lawful for employers to take positive action when recruiting and making internal promotions in order to overcome a disadvantage connected with a protected characteristic or where the inclusion of people with the protected characteristic in a particular activity is disproportionately low. Employers will be able take positive action where all the following apply:

• There are two equally qualified candidates to choose between
• An employer does not have a policy of treating persons with the protected characteristic more favourably
• Positively discriminating is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

The Act does not require employers to take positive action and it is therefore voluntary.

Positive discrimination

Positive discrimination is unlawful except if used when recruiting or promoting individuals in the limited circumstances described above.

What to do next

If you think that you're suffering from discrimination at work, you should talk to your employer and explain why you feel discriminated against. If necessary, put your complaint in writing. An employee representative (such as a trade union official) may be able to help you. Your employer may have an equal opportunities policy - ask to see it.

If this doesn't help, you should make a complaint using your employer's grievance procedure. If your employer doesn't have a grievance procedure, you should set out your complaint in a letter and hand it to your line manager. If your line manager is the problem, then hand your letter to your HR manager (if any) or your line manager's supervisor.

Your employer should then arrange a grievance meeting with you. If the outcome of the meeting is unsatisfactory, you have the right to appeal to a manager who was not previously involved in your grievance. For more information, see our article on Grievance procedures in England, Wales and Scotland.

If you're still unhappy, you can, in certain cases, apply to an Employment Tribunal. Before you do this, you must get legal advice. You need to apply within three months of the act of discrimination taking place. If the discrimination extends over a period, you must bring your claim to the Employment Tribunal within 3 months from the end of that period.

Further information

See the Acas guide for employers and employees on discrimination, bullying and harassment. Acas offers free, confidential and impartial advice on all employment rights issues.