ABSTRACT
One of the protected characteristics contained in the Equality Act 2010 is pregnancy and maternity. So, a person discriminates against a woman if, in the protected period in relation to her pregnancy, she is treated unfavourably because of the pregnancy or any illness suffered by her as a result of it. This is different from most of the other protected characteristics, which require 'less favourable treatment'. In Great Britain there is evidence of discrimination provided by the Equality and Human Rights Commission when it published the results of a survey with 3,034 employers and 3,254 mothers in 2015. Special measures to benefit pregnant women and women who have recently given birth were first introduced in the UK during the post-Second World War period. It is important not to regard the disadvantages suffered by women during pregnancy and maternity in isolation.
