Catherwood LibraryILR School

The Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California published a study that found the amount of lawsuits regarding discrimination related to pregnancy or providing family care has tripled since 2006. 67% of the 4,400 analyzed cases were won by the discriminated employees, who cumulatively received over $500 million in damages from their employers. The rise in these cases are attributed to an increase in workers having to care for family members, men taking paternity leave, and the need for employees to care for the growing number of elderly relatives. Most significantly, federal laws including providing a woman "reasonable break time" for breastfeeding and protecting workers on the basis of family responsibilities have opened the door for these major lawsuits.