Employees have protections against pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. If you tell your employer that you are pregnant and they decide to fire you so they do not have to pay you to be on maternity leave, for instance, that is a form of discrimination. If you go in for an interview while you are pregnant and you do not get the job because of that pregnancy, even though you were clearly qualified, that could also be discrimination.
One thing to remember, though, is that it is technically possible for this type of discrimination to happen even when you are not pregnant in the first place. This often happens to women who are “of childbearing age,” as employers are concerned that they may become pregnant in the future.
What could this look like?
One example of this is if you are interviewing for jobs. Say that you are 28 years old and you are engaged to get married next year. After the interview, your prospective employer decides that it is highly likely that you will get pregnant in the next few years, so they decide to hire someone else. You have just been discriminated against, even if you never end up getting pregnant at all.
This is part of the reason why interviewers are prohibited from asking certain questions. They should not ask you about your marital status or your plans to start a family in the future. But that does not necessarily mean they will not discriminate against you by simply making these assumptions, regardless of your actual plans.
Workplace discrimination can lead to serious harm to your career, and it is a violation of your rights as an employee. Take the time to carefully look into all of the legal options you have at your disposal.