Drive to aid breastfeeding mothers at work

BUSINESSES will be told to do more to help mothers breastfeed their babies at work in a drive to stamp out discrimination against pregnant women and new parents.

The Government is drawing up plans to encourage firms to take “a more progressive approach” towards female staff who return to their jobs after having children.

Ministers want more employers to provide private spaces for breastfeeding mothers to express and store their milk and even to feed their babies at work.

Margot James, the business minister, said: “Pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination is unacceptable and unlawful and has no place in today’s society. This is an important issue which I take very seriously.”

Her comments came after government studies suggested one in nine mothers – about 54,000 women a year – are sacked or forced to quit their jobs because they feel so badly treated at work.

Similar numbers said they were discouraged from attending antenatal appointments, while one in five mothers said they had experienced harassment or negative comments related to pregnancy from colleagues.

At the same time, a quarter of employers felt it was reasonable to ask women about their plans to have children when interviewing candidates for jobs, research from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission found. It is against the law for employers to ask female candidates questions during interviews which could enable them to discriminate against women who are pregnant.

Ms James said the Government was working on new “nudge techniques” – expected to include information campaigns, videos and new guidelines – to persuade more employers to comply with their obligations to treat young mothers and pregnant women fairly.

“We will continue to make the case for inclusive workplaces, where everyone, mothers as well as fathers, can reach their full potential,” she said.

“This is good news for businesses and the economy as well as individual employees.”