Pregnancy Discrimination at Work in California: What Employees Need to Know
Finding out you are pregnant should be exciting news, not a source of workplace anxiety. Yet many California employees quietly wonder how their employer will react once they share the news. Will their hours get cut? Will they be passed over for a promotion? Will they still have a job waiting for them after leave? These are fair questions, and California law has quite a bit to say about the answers.
What Does Pregnancy Discrimination Actually Look Like?
Discrimination is not always as obvious as a manager saying “we don’t want a pregnant employee here.” More often, it shows up in subtler ways. Have shifts suddenly changed without explanation? Has a promotion gone to a less experienced colleague right after an employee announced her pregnancy? Has an employer refused a reasonable request, like a stool to sit on during a shift or more frequent breaks?
Under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, it is unlawful for an employer to refuse reasonable accommodation for a condition related to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition, and it is unlawful to deny an eligible employee pregnancy disability leave (Cal. Gov. Code § 12945). That protection applies to nearly all employers with five or more employees in California, which means most workers in the state are covered.
Why Do These Situations Feel So Hard to Navigate?
Part of the difficulty is that pregnancy discrimination rarely announces itself. An employee might sense something has shifted at work but struggle to put a finger on why. Is a sudden performance review timed to coincide with the pregnancy announcement a coincidence? Could a demotion really have nothing to do with an upcoming leave request? These are exactly the kinds of patterns that deserve a closer look rather than being dismissed.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, pregnancy discrimination charges remain a persistent issue nationwide, and California’s Civil Rights Department continues to enforce protections that go beyond federal minimums. Employees who feel they are being pushed out, denied accommodations, or retaliated against for taking leave are not imagining things just because it is hard to prove.
What Should an Employee Watch For?
Some warning signs are worth paying attention to. A sudden change in tone from a supervisor after disclosing a pregnancy. Denial of a request that seems minor and reasonable. Being left out of meetings or projects that were previously part of the role. Comments, even seemingly casual ones, about how the pregnancy will affect the team. None of these things alone proves discrimination, but together they can paint a troubling picture.
Documentation matters here. Keeping notes on dates, conversations, and any changes to job duties can help clarify whether a pattern exists, long before anyone decides what to do about it.
Speak With Our Firm About Your Situation
If any of this sounds familiar, you are not alone, and you do not have to sort through it by yourself. The San Jose employment attorneys at Costanzo Law Firm, APC have spent years helping people who felt something was wrong at work but weren’t sure what their options were. We take the time to listen to what happened, walk through the details with you, and help you understand where things stand. If you believe your employer has treated you unfairly because of a pregnancy, contact our team today to discuss next steps.
Source:
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=12945.&lawCode=GOV
