It took more than 30 years, but the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEOC finally clarified its rules against pregnancy discrimination, stating that any discrimination based on past or future pregnancies is illegal, and that employers must make reasonable accommodations for pregnant women. Now, any harassment or discrimination against pregnant workers is an illegal form of sex discrimination. Under the new guidelines, lactation is also considered a medical condition.
The clarification was necessary because employers routinely interpreted the anti-discrimination law narrowly, refusing to accommodate pregnancy the same way they would a physical disability. Pregnant workers who needed simple accommodations—say, not doing heavy lifting or sitting during breaks instead of standing—faced a series of bad options.
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