5 August 2021
Louisa Ghevaert highlights the need for change in workplace culture and policies in today’s Mail Online article (5 August 2021) about working women undergoing fertility treatment and IVF in the workplace. Despite one in seven couples receiving fertility treatment, thanks to advances in medicine, the article reports that as of 2019 only 23 percent of employers had fertility treatment policies in place, although more are starting to create them. It also highlights personal stories of multiple women who have experienced discrimination at work and redundancy for having IVF treatment.
“Solicitor Louisa Ghevaert, one of the UK’s leading fertility law experts, says there is ‘growing anxiety’ for working women seeking fertility treatment.
‘There is already a lot of pressure and stress for many women undergoing fertility treatment. Struggling to conceive can be heartbreaking and to then raise this sensitive issue in the workplace, where many women already feel they have to work harder than men to beat the gender gap, is tough.
‘We need change in workplace culture and policies to better support working women undergoing fertility treatment.’
The Mail Online article also highlights the findings of research Experiences and Psychological Distress of Fertility Treatment and Employment, published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynaecology in 2019, which found that out of the 72 per cent of women who disclosed their fertility treatment to their employer, only 42 per cent received ‘adequate support’ and 19 per cent either reduced their hours as a result or left their job altogether.
You can read the full article in the Mail Online here.
Need a fertility lawyer or a family lawyer? If you would like to discuss your family building needs or you would like specialist fertility and family law advice contact Louisa Ghevaert by email louisa@louisaghevaertassociates.co.uk or by telephone +44 (0)20 7965 8399.
