Abstract Background Women's control over their own bodies was highlighted by the expansion of their participation in the professional market, as well as by the greater liberalization of customs, thus provoking the transformation of previously male domains, especially in the workplace. However, this insertion and permanence occurred in an unstable way, impregnated with stereotypes, which sometimes result in different remunerations and harassing attitudes, especially in the gestational period. Objective The general objective of this work was to understand the process of becoming a pregnant woman in the working world in contemporary Brazil. Methods We sought to highlight the excerpts according to the chosen theoretical framework, namely the female performativity as pregnant, as a door to violence in the working world, in the light of Judith Butler's theoretical framework. 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 From the moment women have had the option to control motherhood, they have made significant advances towards emancipation. Controlling motherhood does not mean not desiring it but rather having the right to choose it. Moreover, when a woman chooses to become pregnant and remain in the labour market, the challenge deepens, as she begins to be viewed as a failed piece in the oppressive machinery of labour. Conclusions The highly prejudiced scenario portrayed here, translates the fundamental brand of culture that is known: patriarchy. It means that women are forced to perform as men to conquer things and spaces in the masculine universe of work. Key messages The discrimination and barriers impeding women's professional and personal development are not present only in the professional environment but are also a reflection of the society. Violence against women is shaped by the naturalisation of gender inequality, which is based on hierarchical and historically constructed categories.