Pregnant women more exposed to workplace accidents to escape stereotypes

THE ESSENTIAL

• Pregnant women work more than others to avoid being stigmatized.
• According to an American study, 63% of pregnant women at work have already felt the stereotype that they would be weaker and less productive during their pregnancy.
• This negative attitude and the pressure undergone by these women encourages them to over-invest, even if it means jeopardizing their health and risking having an accident at work.

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While this is not normal, getting pregnant remains a professional challenge for women. According to a study by Washington State University (USA) and published in the journal Work & Stress, 63% of pregnant women at work have already felt the threat of stereotypes, that is to say the perception that they appear weaker, ineffective or less engaged in their work during their pregnancy. To avoid this judgment, some pregnant women can work harder, even if it means putting their health at risk and risking injury.

The pressure of performance

According to the research team, when they become pregnant, women often try to hide their pregnancy and invest more at work to avoid being stigmatized by their colleague or their hierarchy. To test their hypotheses, the researchers called on 400 participants. All of these women are employed in sectors such as industry, retail or health care, which require physical effort. During their pregnancy, they were questioned three times about their working conditions in an interval of two months.

The results highlight that pregnant women try their best to hide their pregnancy, including trying to lift heavy loads or stand for long periods of time. “There is a need to recognize the existence of these stereotypes as a step towards mitigating their consequences, says Lindsey Lavaysse, lead author of the article and recently graduated with a doctorate from Washington State University. The stereotype of pregnancy is a silent stressor. It is not always visible, but it does have a real impact on women in the workplace. Most organizations have policies in place to accommodate the needs of pregnant women and it is a legal right, but if the corporate culture within the organization suggests that there will be retaliation, or workers will be treated differently, so they will be reluctant to use accommodations that are better for their health and safety.”

Threat perception graph

Lindsey Lavaysse and Tahira Probst, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at Washington State University, compared the incidents of work accidents of women who felt threatened by low and high stereotypes. They found that women who perceived a greater perception of the occupational threat suffered almost three times more accidents at work at the end of the two-month period than those who felt a weak perception of the threat linked to stereotypes.

During the two-month period, their fear of confirming these stereotypes also intensified. “Two months is a relatively short period, but one that approaches a whole trimester of pregnancy. As they progress through their pregnancy, their experience of the threat of stereotypes, a major stressor, also increases ”, abounds Lindsey Lavaysse.

An important step

Despite the challenges and limitations of this study, such as the fact that the participants themselves volunteered for the experiment, and that many dropped out before the end of the two months, this study is the first to establish a link between the threat of pregnancy stereotypes and accidents at work. The authors recommend further research to explore possible variables that could alleviate some of the stigma associated with pregnancy.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American public health protection agency, pregnant working women should keep in mind that changes in their metabolism increase the rate at which they absorb certain chemicals. Changes in the immune system, lung capacity and ligaments can increase the risk of injury. In addition, pregnant women should be aware that personal protective equipment that was ideally suited for early pregnancy may no longer be suitable after pregnancy, which exposes them and the fetus to pathogens.

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