Pregnancy, maternity and employment subject of new Assembly inquiry
The National Assembly’s Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee will be looking at issues within the Welsh Government’s control such as employability, economic development, the Welsh public sector equality duties, public sector workforces and childcare.
Research published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in 2016 found 71 per cent of mothers in Wales reported negative or discriminatory experiences. Almost half felt becoming pregnant had affected work opportunities, status and job security.
The Welsh Government has committed to providing 30 hours of free childcare a week for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds, 48 weeks of the year. But a report in 2015 found that increasing childcare to 30 hours would make little difference to reducing poverty or getting more women back to work.
“It is simply unacceptable in this day and age for a woman to be disadvantaged or discriminated against just for having a child,” said John Griffiths AM, Chair of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee.
“We will be looking at what action the Welsh Government is taking to tackle this issue through its economic action plan and employability programmes.
“We will also be looking at the potential impact of its policy to increase free childcare to 30 hours per week.
“This is a deeply personal issue for a lot of women in Wales and we are keen to hear their stories.”
Anyone wishing to contribute to the inquiry should visit the Committee’s web pages – www.assembly.wales/SeneddCommunities.
The Equality and Human Rights Commisson report from 2016 can be found here.
The 2015 report on childcare from the Public Policy Institute for Wales can be found here.
Inquiry into pregnancy, maternity and work in Wales