Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace

Equal employment opportunity is critical to gender equality, but employees who are pregnant or post-partum still experience discrimination in both obvious and indirect ways.

• Some individuals are fired or otherwise penalized for becoming pregnant.
• Some individuals are pushed out of work by being denied reasonable job modifications to protect their health during their pregnancies.
• Some new parents are denied reasonable accommodations in the workplace to express (“pump”) breast milk, or to meet other family obligations, such as caring for children or other family members.

Since January 1, 2015 Illinois law has required all employers with one or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations to employees and job applicants who are pregnant, recovering from childbirth, or have a condition relating to pregnancy or childbirth. There are also a number of other state and federal laws that protect pregnant and post-partum workers against discrimination and require reasonable accommodations for workers who are pregnant or lactating.

The ACLU of Illinois works to protect the rights of pregnant, post-partum and lactating workers and to make sure that employers and workers are informed about the law.

If you experience discrimination or denial of reasonable accommodations based on your pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions (including needing to express breast milk), we might be able to help. Please click here to share your story and find out if the ACLU of Illinois may be able to offer you legal assistance.

Learn More:

• View our fact sheet for more information on Illinois law protections for employees and job applicants who are pregnant, recovering from childbirth, or have a condition relating to pregnancy or childbirth.
• Know your rights about breast/chestfeeding in Illinois.
• Read about the federal laws that protect pregnant, post-partum and lactating workers.
• Learn about what the ACLU is doing around the country to address pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.

Related Cases and Advocacy:

• Sarah Spriesch v. City of Chicago – The ACLU of Illinois represented Sarah Spriesch, a paramedic working for the Chicago Fire Department who was forced onto leave because she was pregnant.
• Jennifer Panattoni v. Village of Frankfort – The ACLU of Illinois and the Women’s Rights Project of the ACLU represented Jennifer Panattoni, a police officer working for the Frankfort Police Department, in a lawsuit alleging that she was denied reasonable accommodations.