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Pregnancy-Related Stigma in the Workplace and Psychological Health: Is There a Relationship?

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Aligning Perspectives in Gender Mainstreaming

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Abstract

An estimated 75% of women experience pregnancy-related stigma during their pregnancy or maternity-related stigma following their return to work (Adams et al., Pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and DISADVANTAGE FIRST findings: Surveys of employers and mothers (research paper no. 235), 2015). This chapter reviews the small, but growing body of evidence examining the nature and occurrence of pregnancy-related stigma at work (Fox & Quinn, Psychology of Women Quarterly 39(2):226–242, 2015) and investigations into how such experiences relate to women’s psychological well-being, job satisfaction and behaviors at work (e.g., Fox & Quinn, Psychology of Women Quarterly 39(2):226–242, 2015). Stigma theory (Goffman, Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1963) is used to help understand how pregnancy may be viewed, in some social contexts and interactions, as a stigmatized condition. We conclude this chapter by examining some practical considerations organizations may use to support pregnant employees and highlight some key areas of future research.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In the UK all pregnant employees are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave, regardless of how long they have been employed. Ordinary Maternity Leave is the first 26 weeks of that leave, followed by Additional Maternity Leave that accounts for the remaining 26 weeks.

  2. 2.

    Psychological contracts are a set of ‘promises’ or ‘expectations’ that are exchanged between the parties in an employment relationship. These parties include employers, managers, individual employees and their work colleagues. Unlike formal contracts of employment, they are often tacit or implicit (Rousseau, 1989).

  3. 3.

    Psychological contract violation is defined as an employee’s perception that his or her organisation has failed to fulfil one or more obligations associated with perceived mutual promises (Gakovic & Tetrick, 2003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Organisational Health and Development, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Juliet Hassard, Ieva Gruzdyte, Lana Delic & Louise Thomson

  2. School of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK

    Vanessa Dale-Hewitt

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  1. Juliet Hassard
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  2. Ieva Gruzdyte
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  3. Lana Delic
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  4. Vanessa Dale-Hewitt
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  5. Louise Thomson
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Correspondence to Juliet Hassard .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Organizational Health and Development, University of Nottingham YANG Fujia, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham, UK

    Juliet Hassard

  2. Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Luis D. Torres

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Hassard, J., Gruzdyte, I., Delic, L., Dale-Hewitt, V., Thomson, L. (2021). Pregnancy-Related Stigma in the Workplace and Psychological Health: Is There a Relationship?. In: Hassard, J., Torres, L.D. (eds) Aligning Perspectives in Gender Mainstreaming. Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53269-7_5

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