A UK-wide protest has been organised to help working mothers speak out against maternity discrimination this Halloween.
March of the Mummies events are taking place in major cities all across the country with one common goal – to highlight the need to address the growing problem of discrimination against women returning to work after maternity leave.
According to reports, hundreds of women bandaged-up in classic Halloween mummy costumes will take to the streets in six cities on Tuesday 31 October, calling on the Government for urgent change.
The campaign group behind the event, known as Pregnant Then Screwed, has said that the costumes are intended to represent the “archaic legislation” currently in place, which it claims creates too much room for employers to discriminate.
Drawing on recent research from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), it says that approximately one in nine new mothers have been forced out of their jobs as a result of maternity discrimination.
Joeli Brearley, Founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said: “We have been lobbying hard but it didn’t seem to be making a difference, so we thought we need to take to the streets and shout about it as loud as we can.
“The Government has done nothing. In this time, as many as 70,000 women have lost their jobs. But less than one per cent of women who encounter discrimination raise a Tribunal claim.
“Access to justice is an enormous problem – and so is the time limit.”
March of the Mummies demonstrations will be taking place in London, Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester.