Amazon punished pregnant workers for taking breaks, lawsuit alleges

These Amazon workers aren't alone. Megan Thomas, a New York attorney who specializes in harassment, discrimination and retaliation cases, said that while white-collar working mothers sometimes experience discrimination after they return from maternity leave − by being left out of business meetings, being overlooked for company trips or being met with an overly burdensome workload "designed to push her out" − blue-collar workers tend to hit barriers sooner.

And although all pregnant workers can take protected breaks at work under the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, pregnant workers across the United States report violations and discriminatory remarks from colleagues and managers at work.

According to a June survey of nearly 4,000 mothers from the National Partnership for Women and Families, nearly half of the survey respondents who were employed while pregnant said they needed temporary changes in workplace conditions for a healthy pregnancy, such as carrying a water bottle, working while seated, taking frequent bathroom breaks, or avoiding lifting heavy objects.

Of those respondents, 35% said their employer only partially adjusted their job conditions and 9% said their employer made no adjustments at all. Pregnant workers of color and those in the lowest income brackets were less likely to receive needed pregnancy accommodations compared to White respondents and respondents with incomes of $100,000 and higher.

Pregnancy accommodations are often overlooked in the broader conversation about support for working parents, which typically centers around childcare costs, Chettiar said.

"People with privilege are already getting accommodations and paid leave," Chettiar said. "They don't understand how critical that is for low-wage workers."