Madrid, Spain, Mar 26, 2008 / 13:39 pm
A report by the Madrina Foundation in Spain has revealed that pregnancy is the main reason why 25% of women between the ages of 18 and 25 lose their jobs. The figure jumps to 50% when women ask to work fewer hours after returning from maternity leave or for time off to care for a sick child.
According to the newspaper “Alba,” 90% of women surveyed by the Madrina Foundation said their employers have harassed them because of a pregnancy. “Unfortunately, pregnancy is viewed as bad news, almost as an illness,” said the president of the foundation, Conrado Gimenez.
The report has been sent to the European Parliament’s Commission for Women and Gender Equality, whose president, Anna Zaborska, has requested that a series of proposals be drafted to address the problem.
In response to the growing problem, the Madrina Foundation has created the “Madrina Network,” which provides pregnant women and mothers with information on job openings in different companies.