This woman sued for pregnancy discrimination and won. Her case is rare

Australia has made massive progress in gender equality; more women are employed today than ever before.But from corporations to warehouses, pregnant women and new mothers are routinely let go from their jobs, discriminated against, and in one case, forced to pump breastmilk in a storeroom and carry it home in a suitcase.Tatiana Duarte was denied unpaid parental leave, flexible work, and support to breastfeed while working as a waiter and cleaner at the Consulate of the United Arab Emirates in Melbourne."My colleagues found me a storage room," she said."I didn't even have a table or a seat to breastfeed or anywhere to store my milk."I had to buy a suitcase with ice just to keep it cold so it wouldn't do any damage to my baby."Four Corners wants to hear your experiences of pregnancy discrimination. Share your story here.Ms Duarte said the experience left her feeling "frustrated, sad and disappointed"."Australia is supposed to be a country where you're meant to have rights," she said."I didn't expect this to happen."Tatiana Duarte's legal action paid off, but her case is rare. (Supplied: Tatiana Duarte)This year, Ms Duarte won a landmark discrimination case against her employer, and was awarded more than $200,000 in damages.A case like this is rare — this kind of legal action is expensive, hard to navigate, and takes time.Because Ms Duarte could not afford a lawyer, Victoria Legal Aid took on her case."There were so many delays, but finally we got it," she said.Pregnancy discrimination cases reveal 'just the tip of the iceberg'Despite pregnancy discrimination being unlawful for more than 30 years, the problem is still rife in Australia.Dominique Allen, an anti-discrimination law researcher from Monash University, said pregnant women at all levels of employment were reporting unfair treatment."There are a few cases heard by courts, but we know that that is just the tip of the iceberg," she said."We found that it almost didn't matter if it was a small employer versus a large employer or across different industries, pregnancy discrimination was occurring regardless."Professor Allen heard several stories from women facing this discrimination during her research, which found it occurred regardless of how long a person had been employed, their seniority, whether they were working full-time, or the sector they worked in.In 2024, around 1,200 women responded to a survey by the University of South Australia's Centre for Workplace Excellence.The results revealed a disturbing statistic — more than 91 per cent of them were discriminated against when they returned to work, and 89 per cent when pregnant at work."I was a manager in a government organisation and was told if I wanted flexible work hours perhaps, I should work at a supermarket," one woman told the researchers."I was told I wouldn't want to return to work as I would be 'clucky'," another said."My career was severely impacted by my pregnancy, and I was forced to give up my team leader role."A common theme among women experiencing this discrimination is that at such a vulnerable time in their life, they cannot take on the extra burden of fighting an employer.As a result, many cases go unheard, making this an invisible problem in Australia.We want to hear from youHave you been discriminated against at work because you were pregnant or a new parent?Did you experience health consequences as a result?Have you worked in an organisation that perpetuated this discrimination?