The number of women who lose their jobs for getting pregnant or taking maternity leave has gone up by 37% since 2016.

Research by campaign group Pregnant then Screwed and Women in Data found that up to 74,000 women per year are sacked, constructively dismissed or made redundant while pregnant, on maternity leave or within a year of their return.

Its projections are based on a nationally representative sample of 5,780 parents, revealing that 12.3% of women are potentially pushed out of the workforce.

Almost half (49.5%) of pregnant women, those on maternity leave or those returning from maternity leave said they had a negative experience at work. One in five of these respondents left as a result.

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Pregnant then Screwed also found that 35.9% of women felt sidelined or demoted while pregnant, on maternity leave or just after they returned.

However, only 2% raise a tribunal claim in response, despite new legislation coming into force last year that extended maternity redundancy protections.

Founder of Pregnant then Screwed Joeli Brearley said: ‘’We have long suspected things are getting worse, not better. Our free advice line is ringing off the hook, it has reached a point where we simply cannot cope with demand.

“To find that 74,000 mothers a year are being pushed out of their job for daring to procreate is not surprising, but it is devastating. That’s a woman being pushed out of her job every seven minutes in the UK for doing something that is part of the human existence.’’

Brearley said a government commitment in 2016 to gauge the level of pregnancy and maternity discrimination every five years had not been honoured.

“What sort of message does this send to women – that the Government cares so little about this issue that they can’t even be bothered to collect the data,” she added.

Taisiya Merkulova, project lead from Women In Data, said: “Collectively, we need to close the gender gap and remove the challenges women face to achieve equality of opportunities in the workplace and reduce the burden of the unspoken ‘tax’ on mothers from additional unpaid labour as carers and in the home.”

The campaign group will live stream a giant shredder today (27 February), which will shred mothers’ CVs in real-time to highlight the “motherhood penalty” on women’s careers.

It will also display posters nationwide emblazoned with the statement “Mum, you’re fired”, in the style of The Apprentice TV programme.

Hina Belitz, employment partner at Excello Law said the figures were “shocking but not surprising”.

“Often women leave under the mutually agreed terms of a settlement agreement and are basically paid off. When women weigh up the risks and pressure of litigation against a payoff and early resolution, they will take the deal,” she said,

“Campaign groups have urged companies to introduce more flexible working, increase paternity leave offering, and creative family friendly workplace and a number of additional rights are potentially on the horizon.”

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