Half a million pregnant women could lose workplace protections under Reform’s Equality Act plans

As many as half a million pregnant women could lose workplace protections each year under Reform’s plans to scrap the Equality Act if it wins the next general election.

In February, Reform’s equalities spokesperson and former Tory MP Suella Braverman announced that Reform would scrap the Equality Act 2010 on ‘day one’ if it wins power.

The Equality Act makes it illegal to discriminate against people with protected characteristics, including pregnant women and those on maternity leave. 

This provides women with vital protections against being fired, demoted or treated unfavourably at work while they are pregnant and post-pregnancy.

According to The Independent, analysis conducted by the Labour Party has estimated that as many as 500,000 pregnant women could be left without protection if the act was scrapped.

The figures were calculated based on the number of births in 2024 (640,000) and the percentage of women in employment (72%). 

Campaign groups and charities have warned that Reform’s “unthinkable” plans “would wipe out decades of progress”. 

Rachel Grocott, CEO of Pregnant Then Screwed, told The Independent: “Scrapping the Equality Act is an unthinkable proposal. This is not some meaningless piece of bureaucracy; it is the means by which everyone is supported to work and participate in society on an equal and fair basis.”

She added: “Removing protections for women to work, and to return to work after having children, would wipe out decades of progress – leaving half a million pregnant women without workplace protections is simply shocking. 

“It should be made crystal clear to voters that this would have catastrophic effects for everyone. We need to be building on the foundations of the Equality Act and providing more support for mothers and parents – not going seriously backwards by removing the basic protections afforded to us by the Equality Act.”

Erin Mansell, deputy director at the Women’s Budget Group, told The Independent: “The Equality Act 2010 is a landmark piece of legislation and remains one of the most important tools women have to challenge discrimination at work.”

Mansell also pointed out that “Pregnancy and maternity discrimination remains a persistent reality across England and Wales… We also know that Black, Asian and minority ethnic women and disabled women can face overlapping and compounded forms of discrimination, making strong legal protections even more essential.”

Labour Party chair Anna Turley accused Reform of being “intent on stripping away women’s rights”. 

She added: “Nigel Farage has previously said women are worth less to employers than men and that maternity leave is lunacy. Now, Reform wants to rip up vital protections for women at the time they most need them.”

Reform candidate and former academic Matt Goodwin previously said that people who don’t have children should be taxed extra as punishment.

Party figures including Farage and Nadine Dorries have also spoken about reducing the abortion time limit. 

Farage has called the current limit “utterly ludicrous” and said it should be reduced from 24 weeks to 22, while Dorries said in 2022 that it should be reduced to 20 weeks. 

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward