A new law aimed at protecting pregnant employees’ health and job security could result in less women being hired or promoted, according to a policy expert at a libertarian think tank.
"A regulation like this, if it ends up being really costly for employers, it can change their hiring decisions and even potentially promotion decisions in ways that could actually exacerbate the gender pay gap," the Cato Institute's director of family policy, Vanessa Brown Calder, said. "It's very concerning."
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which took effect June 27, requires companies with 15 or more employees to provide "reasonable accommodations" to workers with pregnancy-related limitations. Those could include additional breaks, closer parking, modified work schedules, remote work and suspending essential job functions, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) proposed rules.
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"It's really a meaningful piece of regulation that is going to have some serious consequences for employers across the country and also for the pregnant workers that they employ," Calder told Fox News.
Supporters say the law is intended to protect pregnant women from having to choose between their health and staying employed.
"The PWFA is the culmination of a 10 year-long campaign to close gaps in civil rights laws so pregnant workers are not pushed out of jobs or forced to risk their health when they require reasonable accommodations on...
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