Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 amended Title VII to include pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions in the definition of sex discrimination.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act also provides that “women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions shall be treated the same for all employment-related purposes…as other persons not so affected but similar in their ability or inability to work.” This means that employers must generally treat pregnant employees the same way it treats employees with other kinds of temporary disabilities with respect to health insurance coverage, leaves of absence for disabilities, and work assignments.