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The unexpected side-effect of pregnancy: discrimination

Transcript:

[Quiet piano music plays]

Text: A baby is born every two minutes in Australia

[Jane enters the office and sits down behind the desk.]

Voice of male employer (off screen): ‘Thanks for coming in Jane. Take a seat’.

[The door closes]

[Sound of door latch clicking]

Text: Half of their mums experience workplace discrimination

[Jane listens to what is being said to her, she looks shocked by what she hears.]

Woman 1 (off screen): ‘You should just do whatever work you can find and focus on raising your children’.

Woman 2 (off screen): ‘We’ve already hired someone else to replace you’.

Text: These are real women’s stories of discrimination

Woman 1: ‘Our normal business hours are 8.00am to 6.00pm and if you can’t do those hours, then it is just not going to work’.

Woman 2: ‘You will need to start your maternity leave early’.

Woman 3: ‘Yeah, it is too much of an unknown for us’.

Woman 4: ‘Your position has been made redundant’.

Woman 1: ‘You won’t be able to perform at such a high level, 6 weeks before your due date’.

Woman: ‘Are you sure you want to have the baby’?

Text: 110,000 women experience pregnancy or parental discrimination each year

Text: Just 1 in 10 seek advice

Voiceover: ‘You have rights. You don’t need to go to Court to raise them. Knowing the law can help you keep your job’.

[Jane begins to look relieved and quietly determined.]

Male voiceover: Take action to protect your job and your family. Speak to a lawyer. It is easy, free and confidential.

[Jane smiles]

Woman 1 : ‘110,000 women each year –’.

Woman 2: ‘Help make pregnancy discrimination...’

Woman 3: ‘..difficult to ignore’

Woman 4: ‘Know your rights’.

Logo: Victoria Legal Aid: Lawyers and Legal Services

Text: Know your rights – visit our website: ==REPACE TEXT HERE==

Text: © 2014 Victoria Legal Aid. Authorised and published by Victoria Legal Aid, 350 Queen Street, Melbourne Vic 3000

Updated

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