The Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees you 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year due to an event such as a pregnancy.
As a pregnant worker in Arizona, you should be aware of your rights. While welcoming a child into the world can be an amazing experience, it can also come with its own fair share of stressful thoughts and inconveniences. Fortunately, employment laws in Arizona offer you a considerable degree of protection, and you can maintain your employment in a dignified manner while going through this natural biological process. However, not all employers respect the rights of pregnant women in Arizona, and you may need to take legal action if these rights are being violated.
If you’d like to explore your legal options, your best bet is to get in touch with a qualified attorney who has experience with employment law. These legal professionals can help you fight for your rights as a pregnant worker, and you may be able to sue your employer if they are committing violations. A lawsuit can provide you with a considerable settlement, and this settlement can compensate you for damages such as lost wages, humiliation, and more.
Understanding Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment
Technically speaking, discriminating against pregnant women is a form of sexual and gender-based harassment according to the Civil Rights Act. Because this harassment is a result of biological differences between genders, it is a violation of basic civil rights. In other words, employers are not allowed to treat you differently because you are a woman. Since becoming pregnant is a female trait, your employer can be sued if you are harassed due to this pregnancy.
Harassment of this type has the potential to be quite varied. Rude or derisive comments about your pregnancy are not acceptable, such as snickering remarks about how you got “knocked up.” In addition, you cannot be fired because you became pregnant. In short, any behavior that results in you being treated differently because of your pregnancy is considered sexual harassment.
Can I Take Time Off Work for Being Pregnant?
The Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees you 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year due to an event such as a pregnancy. These are federal laws, and Arizona employers must adhere to them if they have 50 or more employees. So you can take time off work to deal with your pregnancy, but you will not be paid for this time off.
Enlist the Help of a Qualified Attorney Today
If you’ve been searching the Phoenix area for a qualified, experienced employment law attorney, there are many legal professionals waiting to assist you. With their help, you can fight for your rights as a pregnant worker in Arizona and hold your employer accountable if they have committed any violations or misconduct. Everyone deserves the right to welcome a new child into the world with a sense of dignity while maintaining their employment. You shouldn’t be treated differently because you are pregnant, so get in touch with a legal professional today and explore your options.
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