Health impacts of pregnant working women victims of discrimination and moral harassment In Brazil

Abstract

Abstract Background Brazilian women are still a recurring target of discrimination in the workplace, facing violence related to gender relations and moral harassment, especially when they are pregnant. When the worker perceives discriminatory acts and attitudes or any violation of the rights guaranteed by law, she may appeal to the Labor Court to initiate legal action. The rights of pregnant women to temporary stability, free time for medical examinations, change of duties and maternity leave contrast with the usurpation of the administration's workforce. Considering pregnancy as a specific moment of change in a woman's life, one issue becomes all the more important: is it possible to be a pregnant in the working world? Objective Reflect on the consequence of moral harassment at work for the health of the mother-child binomial. Methods This was an exploratory, descriptive, qualitative study that used the Internet to search and draw the national profile of women cases in the gestational period that had their labor lawsuits judged by the Regional Labor Courts of Brazil. After reading and selection of the speeches, three main groups of categories were identified: labor issues, exclusion of women's bodies in the working world and consequences for the the mother-child binomial`s health. Results After analyzing 5,238 labor lawsuits, four main groups were identified considering the motivating fator. We sought to highlight the excerpts according to the chosen theoretical framework, namely the increased female performativity during the pregnant, abortion cases, postpartum depression and preterm births. Conclusions This research argues that social relations in the workplace imply the exclusion of female bodies in favour of masculine ones and seeks to understand the process of becoming a woman and becoming pregnant in the workplace in contemporary Brazil. Key messages This inclusion and permanence of women in the workplace is unstable and steeped in stereotypes, particularly when these women are pregnant, often resulting in violent and discriminatory attitudes. Motherhood must be understood and defended when it is desired as a social function that contributes to building a society based on respect for community. Defending this is part of reproductive rights.