Pregnant women 'avoided' by employers

The majority of bosses have stated that they would steer clear of hiring a woman if they suspected she would fall pregnant within the next six months, a new survey has revealed.

Conducted by Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS), the poll showed that three-quarters of employers share this opinion.

In fact, ELAS, which specialises in employment law and health and safety, discovered that only 5% of bosses would hire someone that was already pregnant and 86% would feel cheated if an employee became pregnant just weeks after being recruited.

Head of Consultancy at ELAS, Peter Mooney, remarked that the best candidate for the job must be the one that is hired.

'It is a very dangerous area and you simply cannot ask the question about plans for a family in an interview. For many bosses [though] it is down to the bottom line - a pregnant member of staff will cost money,' he said.

However, Mr Mooney warned that an employment tribunal could be even more expensive for the employer.