A Qualitative Study Describing Experiences of Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace

Details

• Personal Author:
  Borrowman JD ; Jones MA ; Unke M ; Whitaker KM
• Description:
  Objectives: Qualitatively assess experiences of occupational pregnancy discrimination. Methods: A fully remote phenomenological qualitative study was completed leveraging semistructured interviews with a sample of pregnant employees in the United States. Inclusion criteria included being pregnant, working at least 35 hours per week, employed at least 1 year at current employer, and without diagnosed depression/anxiety. Results: Participants (N = 20) were, on average, 30 years of age, worked 42.6 hours per week, self-identified as non-Hispanic black (50%), and earned least a bachelor's degree (85%). Individuals successfully identified various forms of pregnancy discrimination, believing it occurred due to systemic issues or perceptions that women are weak. Most did not report experiences of discrimination fearing retaliation or being unaware of workplace protections. Conclusion: Pregnancy discrimination in the workplaces comes in various forms and is an issue for some working pregnant individuals. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Pregnancy Child Health Discrimination Maternal Health Mental Health Occupation Occupational Health Equity Qualitative Analysis
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; Michigan ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  66
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069711
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2024 Aug; 66(8):e338-e342
• Contact Point Address:
  Jaclyn D. Borrowman, PhD, 255 S Grand Ave, Iowa City, IA 52246
• Email:
  jaclyn-dziewior@uiowa.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f19efdbd9df1c410d3b98674017c485e945c5b5643c84dfa7f1606e290ee81187d685300e8076787315b46a5836e7f15b166d6bcc725a13eebd33928ef1c573c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208084/cdc_208084_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 127.33 KB ]