Pregnancy accommodations
Three out of four Hoosier women are members of the labor force, and the majority of them will experience pregnancy at some point in their lives. Yet, parental accommodations are rarely offered to employees. There is currently no Indiana law that requires private employers to provide parental leave to employees. As a result, those who are pregnant must often prioritize their work and income over the well-being of themselves and their family.
Wage history questions
Inquiring about a job applicant’s wage history from previous positions is a primary perpetuator of the gender pay gap. In 2016, almost 40 percent of single mothers had incomes below the poverty line. This is due in large part to the fact that employers are legally allowed to ask job candidates about their wage history, and thus offer female employees the same inequitable pay that they earned in previous positions.
The pink tax
The Pink Tax, or the tax on menstrual products, is solely based on sex, as it only applies to women and others who biologically need them. One in four Hoosier women significantly struggle to pay these costs. The gender and race-based pay gap makes this struggle even more pressing. Women of color, who are paid much less than both white women and all men, face substantially more difficulty in affording these necessities.
LEGISLATION
What legislation is Women4Change fighting for?
We support women’s economic stability by advocating for childcare accessibility, paid family leave, eliminating the period tax, and closing the wage gap.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Does a period tax actually exist on women’s products?
Short answer: yes! While goods deemed “necessities,” like groceries, are not taxed, all menstrual products carry an additional tax for Indiana residents. But menstrual products are necessities: most people with periods don’t choose to have them, and for almost all people, openly bleeding is not an option. Over the course of a person’s life, these monthly taxes add up. One in four Hoosier women are struggling to pay these costs, and often must choose between food for their kids and their personal health care items.
What happens when employers ask job candidates about their wage history?
Employers often determine a new employee’s income based on their past salaries from other jobs. If the candidate has been underpaid for their work in the past, their employer can offer them the same inequitable salary for their new job, even if that amount is less than what the employer pays other employees. In states like Indiana, which is ranked 49th out of the 50 states for the gender pay gap, women are disproportionately affected by this cycle of pay inequity.
On average, caucasian women in Indiana make 74 cents for every dollar a man makes. Women of color experience even more significant gaps in pay. Black and biracial women experience a 36 percent difference in pay between Hoosier men. The gap between Latinas and all men who work full time is 44 percent, which is a difference of over $21,000 per year.
Why do pregnancy accommodations matter?
Without parental leave, those who are pregnant must often prioritize their work and income over the well-being of themselves and their family. This can lead to many dangerous risks for both the pregnant person and their child, especially for workers in physically demanding positions.
One of the predominant risks is preterm birth and low birth weight, caused by strenuous manual labor such as heavy lifting. Indiana’s preterm birth rate was at 10.24% in 2018, which is higher than the national average of 9.93%. Additionally, approximately one in four women returns to work within two weeks of giving birth, well before the recommended six to eight weeks of recovery time. This is primarily because there is currently no paid leave program in the U.S., a problem that is exacerbated in jobs with lower wages. Only 8% of workers in the lowest wage quartile have access to paid family leave.
What specific accommodations do pregnant employees need?
During an employee’s pregnancy, the following accommodations must be provided:
More frequent (rest and restroom) breaks
Lighter physical workloads
Temporary reassignment away from exposure to dangerous chemicals or radiation (if applicable)
Additionally, the employee should receive adequate paid time off for postpartum recovery and parental leave. Once returning to work, they must also be provided with breaks and a private, sanitary space for lactation. This is incredibly important, as regular lactation prevents mastitis, or breast infections.
How will parental leave programs benefit Indiana’s economy?
Providing an adequate paid parental leave program will reduce the need for Indiana families to rely on public assistance. Further, it will increase female participation in the labor force by making it easier for women to remain in the workforce after giving birth. Paid parental leave has also been shown to increase employee retention, improve workplace morale, and increase productivity.