Latest news with #JoeliBrearley
The Independent
16-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Study reveals employment ‘bias' against women suffering pregnancy loss
A new ONS study reveals women in the UK can lose up to £14,000 in earnings and face reduced employment prospects after a miscarriage or stillbirth. The ONS data shows women experienced lower average earnings for up to five years after losing a child during pregnancy or labour. The study examined the monthly pay and employment status of women who experienced stillbirths, neonatal deaths, miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and molar pregnancies. Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said women were 'judged as less capable of doing their job' as soon as they became pregnant, even if they later lost the pregnancy. She added that the trauma of child loss was 'compounded by ongoing bias which says they must be distracted and less committed to their job'.
The Independent
16-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Women lose up to £14,000 in earnings after miscarriage or stillbirth
Women lose up to £14,000 in earnings and are less likely to secure employment after suffering a miscarriage or stillbirth, a shocking new study shows. Data released by the Office for National Statistics shows women suffered lower average earnings for up to five years after losing a child during pregnancy or labour. The study looked at the monthly pay and employment status of women who went through stillbirths, neonatal deaths, miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies and molar pregnancies. In total, losses of up to £13,581 were shown across at least a five-year period. The probability of employment also reduced by a maximum of 4.8 per cent in the three months following the end of a pregnancy. Those who had suffered a stillbirth saw a drop in likelihood of employment for up to two years afterwards. Joeli Brearley, founder of the charity Pregnant Then Screwed, said: 'From the point that women become pregnant they are judged as less capable of doing their job. Even if they then tragically experience pregnancy loss or still birth, the bias still lingers, impacting their progression and earnings. 'These women are facing every mother's worst nightmare, and the trauma is compounded by ongoing bias which says they must be distracted and less committed to their job.' She added that very few women receive support from their employer during this period, according to previous research carried out by the campaign group. 'What world do we live in that penalises a mother professionally at a time of loss so great that most of us can't even bear to imagine it? 'It is very encouraging to see the ONS is looking into this, and we would like to see more done to protect and support mothers when they are at their most vulnerable from not being held back in their careers too.' Emma Sharland, principal officer of ONS's health research group said: 'These events can have a devastating emotional and health impact to women who experience them and their families. For the first time, we have looked to understand the financial impact they can also have. 'We found all these events caused a decrease in earnings, with some leading to a total loss of almost £14,000 in earnings over five years. This financial impact persisted, and those who experienced some of these events never saw their pay recover during the study period." The ONS study, which covered 2014 to 2022, found that the loss of earnings was likely caused by changes to employment status and to pay because of women moving to part-time work or different type of employment. Almost 150,000 women aged between 23 and 60 were included in the study. The data includes women who are employed rather than self-employed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
After 'Shocking' Police Abortion Guidance, Here's What Campaigners Want To Happen Next
Following the release of new police guidance detailing how to seize phones and search for medications used to terminate pregnancies in the homes of women after unexpected pregnancy loss, campaigners and doctors are urgently calling for abortion to be decriminalised. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has branded the guidance on child death investigation, which comes from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and was updated earlier this year, as 'truly shocking'. If someone is suspected of terminating a pregnancy outside of the legally permitted circumstances, the guidance suggests police could seize phones to examine internet search history, messages and health apps such as menstrual cycle and fertility trackers to 'establish a woman's knowledge and intention in relation to the pregnancy'. It also offers advice on searching for abortifacients (medications used to terminate pregnancies) as well as packaging, documentation and empty medication blister packs. Now, campaigners and doctors are calling for abortion to be decriminalised, with Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, urging people to write to their MPs to ask them to support it. Labour and Co-op MP Stella Creasy has also urged her followers to take action. The NPCC told HuffPost UK: 'Unexpected pregnancy loss is not something which is routinely investigated by police as potential illegal abortion, and these are very rare. 'We recognise how traumatic the experience of losing a child is, with many complexities involved, and any investigation of this nature will always be treated with the utmost sensitivity and compassion.' The council added an investigation would only be initiated 'where there is credible information to suggest criminal activity' and this would often be as a result of concerns raised from medical professionals. 'It is important to stress that due to the individuality of each case, there is no standardised policy to investigate illegal abortions and that police will always work closely with health partners, prioritising the welfare of everyone involved,' said the NPCC. But against a backdrop of reproductive rights being rolled back in the US, campaigners are concerned by the update to police guidance. Over the past two years, six women have appeared in UK courts charged with ending their own pregnancy. Since the introduction of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (written before women could vote in the UK), only three other convictions of illegal abortion have been reported, the BMJ said. 'Abortion providers have reported that in recent years they have received c.50requests for women's medical records from the police in relation to suspected abortion offence,' a cross-party amendment briefing on the topic said. Abortion is technically still a criminal offence in England and Wales. It is only 'de facto' legal until 24 weeks because of the Abortion Act 1967, which allows people to circumvent the law by meeting certain conditions (getting the sign-off from two doctors, taking place in a hospital or premises approved by the Secretary of State for Health, and meeting one of the seven criteria that allows abortion). According to the briefing, that means that technically 'any woman who undergoes an abortion without the permission of two doctors – for example by ordering pills online – can be prosecuted and receive a life sentence as her abortion takes place outside of the provisions of the Act'. This is not usually enforced, but the law seems to be getting stricter. Nicola Packer was only cleared of illegally terminating a pregnancy after taking abortion pills during Covid this month, for instance. She had used a registered provider and was covered by emergency lockdown rule changes that allowed people to order abortion pills online up to 10 weeks into their pregnancy (this stayed in place after the lockdown). Earlier this month, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 'welcomed' an amendment which is currently making its way through parliament and calls for abortion to be decriminalised. At the time, Dr Ranee Thakar, president of RCOG, said: 'Abortion that happens outside of the current law generally involves very vulnerable women – including those facing domestic abuse, mental health challenges or barriers to accessing NHS care. 'Yet alarmingly, prosecutions of women have been increasing in recent years.' Stating that abortion is a form of healthcare, Dr Thakar added: 'Parliamentarians now have an unmissable opportunity to decriminalise abortion, to ensure women can access abortion safely, confidentially and free from the threat of investigation and prosecution. 'We urge MPs to support this amendment to ensure that women and girls in England and Wales will have the same protections as their counterparts in countries such as Northern Ireland, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.' The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has also been campaigning for abortion law reform. Spokesperson Katie Saxon said the recent police guidance change 'is the clearest sign yet that women cannot rely on the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, or the courts to protect them'. She added: 'The only way to stop this is to remove women from the criminal law on abortion.' Joeli Brearley, campaigner and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, has now urged people to write to their MPs to ask them to support the amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. 'This is not the time for caution,' she wrote on social media. 'We need to go hard or go home. Let's make sure the future of reproductive rights in this country is secure and that no woman who experiences pregnancy loss is ever investigated as a potential criminal.' On Sunday, Stella Creasy took to Instagram to 'beg' her followers to not 'ignore the warning signs that abortion access is under threat on our shores'. 'For the sake of the 250,000 women who have one every year here ask your MP to sign our cross party amendment and vote for it,' she said. 'We only have a few weeks to win this vital fight for our freedoms ... The stakes could not be higher but with your help and all our voices we can do this.' Abortion Law Could Radically Change As MPs Propose Decriminalising Abortion Up To 24 Weeks Lesbians Have Always Stood With Trans Women – Our Safe Spaces Should Too Former Minister Calls Out 'Sexist' No.10 Briefings Against Women In Starmer's Cabinet
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
This 1 Factor Might Be Behind 74,000 Women Losing Their Jobs Each Year
Two weeks after giving birth, Kate discovered she was being made redundant – it was a huge blow to her during what was already an emotionally vulnerable time. 'I had sorted out all my KIT [keeping in touch] days and when I'd be returning etc., and it was so out of the blue,' said the 32-year-old. Kate had been invited to join a Zoom call whilst still in hospital but didn't get the message until she was home. When she viewed it back, she said it was 'the CEO reading from a script telling me they were liquidising the company in the UK'. The mum claimed that a month later, the company was advertising for the same role with the same job description. Sadly her situation isn't unique. New research from charity Pregnant Then Screwed, in partnership with Women In Data, has revealed a rise in the number of women who are potentially pushed out of their jobs when they're pregnant, or on or back from maternity leave. Up to 74,000 women now lose their job for getting pregnant or taking maternity leave each year, according to the new report. In 2016, it was 54,000 – so an increase of 37%. Pregnant Then Screwed surveyed 35,800 parents and Women In Data extracted a nationally representative sample of 5,870 parents for its State of the Nation report. The report found that 12.3% of women are sacked, constructively dismissed or made redundant whilst pregnant, on maternity leave or within a year of returning from maternity leave. If scaled up to the general population, this could mean as many as 74,000 women a year are forced to leave their job. "To find that 74,000 mothers a year are being pushed out of their job for daring to procreate is not surprising, but it is devastating."Joeli Brearley Joeli Brearley, founder of charity and campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, said: 'We have long suspected things are getting worse, not better. Our free advice line is ringing off the hook, it has reached a point where we simply cannot cope with demand. 'To find that 74,000 mothers a year are being pushed out of their job for daring to procreate is not surprising, but it is devastating. 'That's a woman being pushed out of her job every seven minutes in the UK for doing something that is part of the human existence.' The new report also found that almost half (49.5%) of pregnant women, those on maternity leave, and those returning from maternity leave said they've had a negative experience at work. Of those who had a negative experience, one in five (20.6%) left their employer. A third (35.9%) of women say they were sidelined or demoted whilst pregnant, on maternity leave, or when they returned from maternity leave. Yet just 2% of women who experience discrimination raise a tribunal claim. Under redundancy laws in the UK, pregnant employees, as well as those on maternity leave, adoption leave or shared parental leave must be offered a suitable alternative vacancy, if there is one. A new law came into force in April 2024 to extend redundancy protections to 18 months after a child is born. In a bid to raise awareness of the number of women potentially forced out of work during pregnancy and the first year after birth, Pregnant Then Screwed will be live-streaming a giant physical shredder which will be shredding the CVs of mothers and aired across a billboard in Westfield. The Juggle Is Real: What It's Like To Be A Working Mum I Couldn't Stop Yelling At My Kids. Then I Uncovered Something Surprising Was Causing It THIS Is The Eye-Watering Number Of UK Parents Going Into Debt Over Child Care Costs
The Independent
27-02-2025
- General
- The Independent
Increase in pregnant women losing their job, study suggests
Up to 74,000 women lose their job every year for getting pregnant or taking maternity leave, new research suggests. The figure has increased from 54,000 a decade ago, according to campaign groups Pregnant Then Screwed and Women In Data. Their survey of 35,800 parents found that 12% of women are sacked, constructively dismissed or made redundant whilst pregnant, on maternity leave or within a year of returning from maternity leave. The report estimated that this could mean as many as 74,000 women are forced to leave their job every year. Half of pregnant women, those on maternity leave, and those returning from maternity leave said they had a negative experience at work, leading one in five to quit their job, according to the research. A third of women said they were sidelined or demoted whilst pregnant, on maternity leave, or when they return from maternity leave, but only 2% of women who experience discrimination took a claim to a tribunal, said the report. Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said: 'We have long suspected things are getting worse, not better. Our free advice line is ringing off the hook, it has reached a point where we simply cannot cope with demand. 'To find that 74,000 mothers a year are being pushed out of their job for daring to procreate is not surprising, but it is devastating. 'In 2016, the coalition government commissioned a report to better understand how widespread pregnancy and maternity discrimination is. 'The report found that things had significantly deteriorated over the previous 10 years. Despite committing to repeat the research every five years, this has not happened. 'What sort of message does this send to women.' Taisiya Merkulova of Women In Data said: 'Collectively, we need to close the gender gap and remove the challenges women face to achieve equality of opportunities in the workplace and reduce burden of the unspoken 'tax' on mothers from additional unpaid labour as carers and in the home.' The campaign groups urged companies to increase their paternity leave offer, create family friendly workplaces, including advertising jobs as flexible and collect maternity retention data. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: 'This is just plain wrong. No one should be losing their job as a result of getting pregnant. 'This is why the measures in the Employment Rights Bill, such as giving pregnant women and new mothers a period where they are protected from being dismissed, are so important. 'They will give greater protections to pregnant women and new mothers.' Government spokesman said: 'The law is clear, no-one should face discrimination at work because they are pregnant or are taking maternity leave. 'Despite this, we know that discrimination still occurs far too often. 'This is why our Employment Rights Bill, and subsequent regulations, will make it unlawful to dismiss pregnant women, mothers on maternity leave or in the six months after they return to work – employers who break the law could face a costly discrimination claim.'
