Six weeks before my maternity leave was due to start, at 32 weeks pregnant, I was made redundant. Following the announcement of my pregnancy, I went from being told I was an asset to the company, someone being considered for promotions and reassured that my role was secure because of the value I brought, to feeling like I was being pushed out within 48 hours.
When I was first told my role was at risk, I was informally reassured that I would be “looked after” and offered a substantial settlement. That changed very quickly. At my first consultation meeting, I was offered a role paying £25,000 less than my existing salary and was effectively told that if I didn’t accept it, I would receive nothing. I was also incorrectly told that I was not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay.
At the same time redundancies were taking place, other employees within the business were being promoted. I asked about newly available roles and opportunities but was told I was not qualified to apply for them. The enhanced maternity pay included in my contract, something I had been relying on financially ahead of having my baby, was suddenly no longer available to me.
Throughout the process, I was repeatedly told I was being treated “the same as everyone else,” despite being heavily pregnant, visibly distressed, and under enormous pressure. My midwife advised me to take sick leave because of the impact the situation was having on my mental and physical health, but I felt trapped between conflicting advice and the fear of what stepping away might mean for my case and my finances.
I asked several times for more time and flexibility during the redundancy process because I was struggling, but every request felt like a battle.
At a time when I should have been preparing to welcome my baby into the world, I was instead trying to work out how I was going to survive financially.
Once the redundancy was finalised, the impact on me was overwhelming. Some mornings I struggled to get out of bed. It affected the final weeks of my pregnancy and my ability to care for my three-year-old daughter in the way I wanted to.
I initially had the support of an incredible lawyer, but after being advised that I was unlikely to receive a settlement, I made the difficult decision to continue representing myself because I simply could not risk the financial cost of taking a case to Tribunal. I sought support from organisations including Pregnant Then Screwed and Valla, both of which provide invaluable help to women navigating situations like this.
I also would not have made it through this process without the courage and support of a former colleague who was herself made redundant during maternity leave shortly after me. She acted as a witness in my case and helped demonstrate a wider culture and pattern of treatment affecting other women within the business.
I spent countless hours trying to understand a legal system that often felt stacked against women like me. Because discrimination rarely arrives in writing. No one says, “We are making you redundant because you are pregnant.” Instead, opportunities disappear, responsibilities are removed, processes become rushed and inflexible, and you are repeatedly told that everything is fair.
I helped compile a legal bundle of more than 300 pages and represented myself through both the preliminary hearing and a grueling five-day Tribunal.
After more than two years of fighting, I finally won my case. Not every claim succeeded, but the most important one did.
The Tribunal found that the Respondent had contravened the Equality Act 2010 in respect of pregnancy and maternity discrimination.
This was never just about compensation. Of course the financial impact mattered, the loss of income during maternity leave, the anxiety of not knowing when I could return to work, the fear of needing to cut maternity leave short, and the reality of attending job interviews just weeks after giving birth while caring for a newborn and a three-year-old. But it was also about something much bigger than me.
I also know I am one of the lucky ones.
I have a supportive partner, incredible friends and family who helped me through the hardest parts of this experience, a home, and the financial stability that meant we were ultimately able to survive without the maternity support I had expected to receive. I was able to secure another job (earlier than I had wanted to end my maternity leave) and I was fortunate that it was a supportive environment to return to after having a child.
So many women do not have those things.
Too many women are pushed out quietly during pregnancy or maternity leave believing they have no choice, no protection, and no voice.
Pregnant women and mothers should not be treated as expendable.
If you are going through something similar now, my advice is this: document everything, ask for help, and do not assume an employer is right simply because they say they are. Push back when you need to. Prioritise yourself and your baby.
And never assume that because you considered people colleagues, friends, or allies, you will automatically be treated fairly when it matters most.
