Real change? Joeli Brearley on the Employment Rights Bill
Welcome to #264 weekly newsletter from The Purse.
Dismissed for being pregnant, Joeli Brearley turned her anger into action
Joeli Brearley’s career was on track.
Then, everything changed when she told her employer she was pregnant. The next day, she was dismissed via voicemail.
This left her without employment and facing a high-risk pregnancy. The prospect of a legal battle was next to impossible. And Joeli chose not to challenge her dismissal to protect her unborn child.
Refusing to let it go, she channelled her anger into founding Pregnant Than Screwed: shining a light on a system stacked against mothers.
Over nearly a decade, Joeli built a platform that amplifies the voices of women across the UK, exposing the systemic flaws that push thousands of mothers out of the workforce every year.
This organisation has become a formidable force against workplace discrimination pushing for legislative reforms.
Through her activism, her book The Motherhood Penalty, and her unyielding push for policy reform, Joeli has become a formidable force for change in the UK.
On 26 November, she was invited to give testimony in Parliament on the Employment Rights Bill, legislation introduced on 10 October aimed at modernising UK employment laws.
But as Joeli said, meaningful change demands more than promises on paper—it requires enforcement, cultural transformation, and systemic reform.
Key data point: according to the research, closing gender employment gaps in the UK would increase economic output by £23 billion.
The Employment Rights Bill: a call to action for women’s workplace equity
Quick Take:
Every year, 54,000 women in the UK are forced out of their jobs simply for becoming mothers, while unaffordable childcare and outdated workplace policies continue to sideline talented female professionals.
The Employment Rights Bill could transform UK workplaces with day-one flexible working rights and enhanced protections for mothers. However, Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, highlights critical gaps like childcare reform and stronger enforcement needed to unlock its full potential.
A close look…
In her recent testimony on the Employment Rights Bill, Joeli highlighted specific changes to the Bill to give it ‘teeth’, including:
Flexible work with accountability: Ensuring job advertisements specify flexible options.
Redundancy protections: Clear definitions of “exceptional circumstances” to prevent misuse.
NDAs under review: Following Ireland’s example to ensure NDAs are voluntary and don’t silence victims.
Paternity leave: Encouraging equitable caregiving roles with six weeks of well-compensated leave.
Introduce statutory fertility treatment leave and paid miscarriage leave to foster workplace inclusivity.
Require intersectional impact assessments for all workplace policies to ensure inclusivity and equity.
FACT:
The motherhood penalty is a significant factor in the overall gender pay gap. Some studies suggest it accounts for up to 80% of the disparity between men's and women's earnings.
The flip side…
While the Employment Rights Bill is a step forward, significant gaps remain:
Childcare Crisis: UK childcare costs average £14,000 annually, pricing many families out of full-time work. Without systemic childcare reform, many women will remain sidelined.
Fear of rejection or career repercussions often discourages women from requesting flexible work.
Outdated statistics limit the ability to craft evidence-based policies that address current challenges.
Persistent stereotypes limit women’s career prospects and perpetuate the motherhood penalty.
In Summary:
The Employment Rights Bill offers an opportunity to tackle long-standing workplace inequities. But as Joeli Brearley stresses, these reforms must be supported by robust enforcement, cultural change, and affordable childcare systems to truly empower women.
By championing these changes, we can unlock billions in economic growth, close the gender pay gap, and ensure women thrive in their careers.
Final Thought:
Women’s contributions aren’t just valuable—they’re essential. With proactive engagement, these reforms can ensure women are no longer marginalised but celebrated as drivers of the UK’s growth and innovation.
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