Preparing to have a baby is hard enough without the challenge of navigating the developed world’s worst maternity leave policies. Fortunately, in California, expecting and new mothers are entitled to more maternity leave than in the rest of the country. Some of it is even paid! While this is...
Postpartum and peripartum depression (referred to as PPD) are the most common mental health disorders experienced after childbirth. New mothers deal with hormonal changes; chronic exhaustion; changes to relationships, routines, and priorities; and the stress of returning to a workforce that can seem hostile to working moms. This situation...
About one in six couples seeks treatment for infertility. Nonetheless, many companies do not have policies ensuring accommodations for infertility treatments, pregnancy loss, and other medical conditions relating to conception and trying to have a child. This lack of policies places the burden on employees to seek help, but...
For a variety of reasons, women often apply for jobs during their pregnancy. Maybe they were victims of pregnancy discrimination at a prior job. Maybe they are looking for a stable, better-paying job to support their family. Whatever the reason, women have the right to interview for jobs during...
California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and Pregnancy Disability Leave Law (PDLL), as well as the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), require your employer to give you reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related medical conditions. Although employers have been required to accommodate pregnant workers for over a decade, many employers...
Most California employers who employ more than 5 people—as well as most employers nationwide who employ more than 15 people—are legally required to engage in the “good faith interactive process” when an employee requests an accommodation due to a disability or pregnancy. Though the interactive process is nothing new,...
Is it Illegal to Discriminate Based on Family or Parental Status? In California, it is illegal to discriminate against an employee because of their role as a caregiver for a child, parent, or person with disabilities. This is known as family responsibilities discrimination (“FRD”). Family status discrimination is not...
In 2020, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act by a bipartisan vote. The bill died in the Senate. Now, the bill has been proposed again. Here is why the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is necessary and long overdue. If you work in California and...
Most people know that pregnancy discrimination is illegal at work. But did you know that pregnancy discrimination is also illegal at school? Until Title IX was passed in 1972, the law did not recognize pregnant students’ right to remain in school. Title IX prohibits schools that receive federal funding...
If you are at risk of miscarriage or have had a miscarriage, you (and your partner) should have the time and space to process your emotions in the way that’s right for you. The last thing you should have to deal with is an employer who is misinformed, indifferent, or...