Like mothers across the UK, Pregnant Then Screwed has had enough of pregnancy and maternity discrimination.
Our latest research in partnership with Women In Data®, has revealed a sharp increase in the number of women who are potentially pushed out of their job when pregnant, during or when returning from maternity leave. Up to 74,000 women every year now lose their job for getting pregnant or taking maternity leave – an increase of 37% from 54,000 in 2016.
Enough is Enough!
On the 27th February, PTS launches our latest campaign to highlight the lost potential of mothers in the workplace who face having everything they worked for, destroyed.
‘The Career Shredder’ is the latest campaign by Pregnant Then Screwed, designed to highlight the impact that maternity and pregnancy discrimination has on women in the workplace.
Launching on the 27th February 2025, Pregnant Then Screwed will be live-streaming a giant physical shredder which will be shredding the CVs of mothers aired across a billboard in Westfield through Ocean Outdoor, known for its high footfall and on a website, careershredder.com.
The campaign will also see posters provided by Clear Channel plastered across the UK, with the words “Mum, you’re fired” – sadly, it doesn’t matter if you land the job, if you’re only going to be pushed out when you become a mum.
Keep an eye out for one of our posters in locations across the UK and share it with us on social media #careershredder
From our latest research, we know that pregnancy and maternity discrimination has not went anywhere. 37% more women risk being forced out of the workplace due to pregnancy and maternity discrimination than in 2016.
Pregnant Then Screwed surveyed 35,800 parents, then Women In Data® extracted a nationally representative sample of 5,870 parents to create its State of the Nation report. The report found that 12.3% of women are sacked, constructively dismissed or made redundant whilst pregnant, on maternity leave or within a year of returning from maternity leave. When scaled up to represent the entirety of the UK, this means that up to 74,000 women risk being forced from the workplace due to pregnancy and maternity discrimination – compared to 54,000 in 2016.
On top of this:
– Half (49.5%) of pregnant women, those on maternity leave, and those returning from maternity leave say they had a negative experience at work.
– Of those who had a negative experience, 1 in 5 (20.6%) left their employer.
– A third (35.9%) of women say they were sidelined or demoted whilst pregnant, on maternity leave, or when they return from maternity leave.
– Despite all of this, just 2% of women who experience discrimination raise a tribunal claim.
By beaming a live-stream of thousands of real women’s CV’s being actively being shredded, piling up and discarded, we hope decision makers and businesses will get the message: excluding and forcing women to exit the workplace is a waste.
Not only does maternity and pregnancy discrimination ruin the lives of the women impacted, but it comes at a great cost to the economy and businesses.
We hope through The Career Shredder campaign, businesses will reflect on their practices and policies, and work to improve their standards.
If you are a business and you want to work with us to improve your maternity and pregnancy policies, reach out to us at [email protected]
You can get involved with The Career Shredder campaign by:
– Shredding your career: upload your CV to the Career Shredder website via LinkedIn and watch your CV get shredded live!
– Share your involvement on social media: use #careershredder and tag us @pregnant_then_screwed or if you are in Scotland, @pregnant_then_screwed_scotland
– Donate: Our job raising awareness around maternity and pregnancy discrimination gets a little easier with a helping hand. You can donate to Pregnant Then Screwed here.
Whatever you choose to do, every share, like, comment and donation counts!
We would like to give special thanks to Gemma Phillips, The 5Gs, Ocean Outdoor, Clear Channel, Acast, String and Tins, Sliced Studios, Jenna Hinton photography who have helped on this campaign.
For press enquiries related to this campaign or any of our campaigns, contact [email protected]
For Scotland specific enquiries, contact [email protected]
For anything else, contact [email protected]
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