The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission


Pregnancy Discrimination

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act is an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions constitutes unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII, which covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. Title VII also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations, as well as to the federal government. Women who are pregnant or affected by related conditions must be treated in the same manner as other applicants or employees with similar abilities or limitations.

Title VII's pregnancy-related protections include:

It is also unlawful to retaliate against an individual for opposing employment practices that discriminate based on pregnancy or for filing a discrimination charge, testifying, or participating in any way in an investigation, proceeding, or litigation under Title VII.

Statistics

In Fiscal Year 2002, EEOC received 4,714 charges of pregnancy-based discrimination. EEOC resolved 4,778 pregnancy discrimination charges in FY 2002 and recovered $10.0 million in monetary benefits for charging parties and other aggrieved individuals (not including monetary benefits obtained through litigation).

Need more information?

EEOC's guidelines on pregnancy discrimination are available in the Code of Federal Regulations, at 29 C.F.R Part 1604. The text of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is also available.

The EEOC has also issued guidance on:

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This page was last modified on January 15, 2004.

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