Ever since I was in second grade, I knew I wanted to be a public school teacher. And after some twists and turns, I got to live my dream.
Ever since I was in second grade, I knew I wanted to be a public school teacher. And after some twists and turns, I got to live my dream.
But when I was 22 and finishing my first year of teaching, I had an experience millions of women will recognize.
By June I was visibly pregnant — and the principal told me the job I'd already been promised for the next year would go to someone else.
This was 1971, years before Congress outlawed pregnancy discrimination — but we know it still happens in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.
My story is not unique. And now, right-wing media outlets are dismissing my story — and in doing so, dismissing many similar stories of other women who have also been affected by pregnancy discrimination.
We need to call out right-wing smears when we see them — including this one. As our grassroots movement continues to grow, we fully expect to see more of these far-right hit jobs. Our job is to stop them dead in their tracks.
Pregnancy discrimination has affected countless women and families nationwide.
As Trudy Randall, another teacher at Riverdale Elementary told CBS News recently, "The rule was at five months you had to leave when you were pregnant. Now, if you didn't tell anybody you were pregnant, and they didn't know, you could fudge it and try to stay on a little bit longer. But they kind of wanted you out if you were pregnant."
In 1978, Congress officially banned pregnancy discrimination, but we know it continues to happen today in both obvious and less obvious ways, from women being nervous about interviewing for a job while pregnant to worrying about repercussions of taking parental leave to flat-out being let go for being pregnant.
And when right-wing smear campaigns try to dismiss our lived experiences, we can fight back by telling our stories. I'm going to continue to share mine, because we need to talk about how pervasive pregnancy discrimination is, and how many women and families it continues to affect.
P.S. It's important for the public to know just how pervasive pregnancy discrimination is, and how many families it affects. If you or someone you know has ever faced discrimination in the workplace for being pregnant, join me and share your story today.
