Employment is critical to women’s equality, but women still experience employment discrimination in both obvious and indirect ways.

  • Some women are fired or otherwise penalized for becoming pregnant.

  • Some women are pushed out of work by being denied reasonable job modifications during their pregnancies.

  • Some new mothers are denied reasonable accommodations in the workplace to express (“pump”) breast milk.

In response, Illinois passed a new law that went into effect on January 1, 2015, requiring 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.

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

If you experience discrimination based on your pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions (including needing to express breast milk), please click here to share your story.

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