Pregnancy questions during job interviews

British employers are “living in the dark ages” and have worrying attitudes towards unlawful behaviour when it comes to recruiting women, a new survey has revealed.

Around a third of privatesector employers say it is reasonable to ask women about their plans to have children in the future during recruitment, according to statistics from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Meanwhile, six in ten employers agree that a woman should have to disclose whether she is pregnant during the recruitment process.

Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “It is a depressing reality that, when it comes to the rights of pregnant woman and new mothers in the workplace, we are still living in the dark ages.”