Lack of maternity leave and workplace discrimination bad for pregnant women's psychological health

Lack of access to maternity leave and workplace discrimination is contributing to poor mental health in pregnant women, according to a new University of Melbourne study.

The study, Employee Entitlements during Pregnancy and Maternal Psychological Well-being, also finds that almost one-fifth of employed women report that they had been discriminated against at work as a result of their pregnancy.

It is published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology today.

Lead researcher Amanda Cooklin, and colleagues Associate Professor Jane Fisher and Dr Heather Rowe, from the Key Centre for Women's Health in Society, surveyed 165 pregnant Australian women, all of whom were employed during pregnancy before the birth of their first child.

"Women who are discriminated against in pregnancy, and/or have no access to either paid or unpaid maternity leave report measurably more distress, fatigue, anger and anxiety than pregnant women who were not experiencing these forms of adversity in the workplace," Ms Cooklin says.

Of the 165 employed pregnant women surveyed:

• Only 60 per cent had access to unpaid maternity leave, despite current legislation requiring all Australian employees to have access to this entitlement after 12 months of continuous employment;
• Only 46 per cent had access to paid maternity leave while others were forced to rely on sick leave, annual leave or go without income following childbirth;
• Almost one in five women reported pregnancy-related discrimination from their employer in the form of negative or offensive comments or being excluded from promotion or training;
• Women who were more highly educated and employed in managerial or professional jobs were more likely to have access to maternity leave than those in low-skilled, low paid occupations.

"Poor ante-natal emotional health is a known risk factor for mood disturbance after childbirth, so it is very important to understand the range of structural and social factors affecting women's mental health in pregnancy," Ms Cooklin says.

"Pregnancy-related workplace discrimination is disturbingly prevalent.

"About 80 per cent of Australian women are employed prior to the birth of their first child, making employment conditions an important factor in women's psychological wellbeing during pregnancy."

Ms Cooklin's research was supported with scholarships from VicHealth and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Media Release courtesy of the University of Melbourne.

Release Date: 20th November 2007

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