The impact of stereotypes of pregnancy at work

Home
/ Mom / Pregnancy / Stereotypes about pregnant women can lead to workplace accidents, study finds

A study published in the journal Work & Stress highlights the impact of stereotypes related to pregnancy in the workplace.

"Being pregnant is not a disease." Often when a woman is expecting a child, she will face many stereotypes related to pregnancy. Even more so in the world of work, where they are sometimes considered "less competent" and "slower".

If these are just clichés, they can prove to be very dangerous for these women. They are indeed a real stressor, as reported by a study conducted by Washington State University, and published in the journal Work & Stress.

According to Lindsay Lavaysse, doctoral student in philosophy and author of the report, 63% of pregnant women in physically demanding jobs would feel threatened by these stereotypes. For fear of not being up to the task, they would do too much and thus be more exposed to the risk of industrial accidents.

“The stereotypes of pregnancy are silent stressors. It’s not always visible but it really affects women in the workplace. ”says the expert. Worse, according to her, some women will hesitate to use the facilities offered in the event of pregnancy, so as not to be treated differently than their colleagues. And this, even if these facilities provide them with additional safety.

To arrive at these results, the doctoral student and her team interviewed 400 pregnant women, the majority of whom work in companies that manufacture health products or in retail. Those who were injured in a work accident confirmed that they felt a threat linked to the stereotype of pregnancy (low or high). According to the authors of the study, it would be necessary to review the working conditions of pregnant women, and recognize the stereotypes of pregnancy as a factor of stress.

Also read:

What is the ideal age to get pregnant?

How to fight fatigue during pregnancy?

This is enough to convince you not to drink a drop of alcohol during your pregnancy