Over Half of Working Women Afraid of Telling Bosses About Pregnancy

Nearly half of women are afraid to tell bosses about their pregnancy, a latest study reveals.

The study conducted by the U.K.-based law firm, QualitySolicitors, surveyed 1000 women and found that mothers-to-be were nervous about the reaction by the management over their pregnancy.

The research also found that these women had a vague knowledge of their maternity rights and were afraid to even ask the company about such policies over fears that it might affect their career.

The study team of QualitySolicitors said that their survey highlighted major concerns about motherhood in the workplace. They said that it was important for companies to give easy access to their staff about policies on pregnancy or motherhood.

"In today's economic climate, women are understandably concerned about job security. Despite strong legal regulation to assist the employer and employee, a culture of 'don't ask, don't tell' has been allowed to develop. Women are not asking about their rights, and employers are not always communicating clearly what these rights are and where they can find them," Craig Holt of Quality Solicitors said.

In the U.S. the federal law forbids companies with 15 or more employees to discriminate against pregnant job seekers, reports The New York Times. It further says that the discrimination claims to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from expecting mothers is on the rise. The claims rose over 23 percent from 2005 to 2011.

In 2011, the EEOC received complaints from two servers at J's Seafood Restaurant stating that they were fired following their pregnancies. In another such lawsuit, Houston restaurant chain, Bayou City Wings, forcibly removed their employees after their first trimesters saying that it was "irresponsible" to keep working in their pregnancies.