Should a woman have to say if she's pregnant in a job interview?

Six in ten bosses think women should have to tell a potential employer if she is pregnant, according to research from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

The survey of 1,106 senior decision makers found that 44% of employers agree that women should work for an organisation for at least a year before deciding to have children, and almost half (46%) of employers agree it is reasonable to ask women if they have young children during the recruitment process.

Negative options towards new mothers were also common. 40% of employers claimed to have seen at least one pregnant woman in their workplace ‘take advantage’ of their pregnancy, whilst around a third believe that women who become pregnant and new mothers in work are ‘generally less interested in career progression’ when compared to other employees in their company.

Financially, four in ten (41%) employers agreed that pregnancy in the workplace puts ‘an unnecessary cost burden’ on the workplace.