AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research) first noticed in July 2004 an increase in the number of women calling in to our Helpline with issues surrounding pregnancy while employed. In June 2005, there were letters in the forum pages from women who had been dismissed while pregnant.
And now, in July 2006, the issue has surfaced again in the forum pages and as a news article. In total, AWARE had received close to 40 calls or emails from women or their relatives.
This issue is definitely not going away, and no amount of reassurance by the Ministry of Manpower will change that.
Planning for, having and caring for a baby in today's frenetic society is stressful enough without having to worry about one's source of income being terminated. For most modern women, pregnancy itself already carries a certain amount of inherent risk. When a woman is subjected to sudden and extreme stress and emotional upset, as happens when one is summarily dismissed, we can only imagine what further complications might affect the pregnancy and subsequent birth.
Add to that non-existent paternity leave, and a paltry two days child care leave per year, the husband and father will be back at work long before the new mother is ready to be left on her own to face post natal depression aggravated by depression caused by the sudden loss of her job.
Last year, AWARE convened a focus group discussion on the topic attended by six women and three men.
Two of the women who had lost their jobs due to their pregnancy said that they would not want a second child because the experience had been too traumatic.
The sad thing is that although this issue has been raised many times in the past, there does not seem to be sufficient political will to address it adequately. A case in point is AWARE's submission to a government related agency to obtain funding to conduct a study on Managing Pregnancy and Employment. After ongoing discussions and negotiations lasting one year, the final response was negative even though AWARE had initially been given encouraging signals.
At the very least, a study should first be made to examine the extent of the problem. Once the issues are understood more clearly, the correct solutions can then be proposed and implemented. AWARE is still going ahead with a scaled down version of its planned research to achieve this end. Please call 6779 7137 or email helpline@aware.org.sgThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it to participate in the study.
It would be very much in the government's interest to take concrete steps to address this issue before it affects many more women and their families.
We should not let such discriminatory practices by employers undermine our society's efforts to encourage more women to have more babies.
Ms Tan Joo Hymn
President
AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research)
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