State Bank of India’s revisions to recruitment norms temporarily barring over three months pregnant women from being hired at the bank has come under fire, drawing criticism from several quarters.
Shocking, sad are a few words that describe the situation pregnant women are into. “If pregnancy is of more than three months, she (candidate) will be considered temporarily unfit, and she may be allowed to join within four months after delivery of Child,” read SBI’s e-circular statement.
Is it ok for a pregnant woman to work?
A pregnant woman feels a lot of discomfort during her pregnancy but it definitely does not mean that she should stop working or going out. With necessary precautions, all women can work even in their last trimester.
Maternal health during pregnancy
Maternal health specialists say women should try to reduce stress or risk complications such as limited growth of the unborn baby, premature delivery or, in cases of prolonged high stress, miscarriage.
A pregnant woman’s choice
Why respecting choices is a difficult task for society? Work, no work should be a pregnant woman’s choice.
The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017, which was passed by the Rajya Sabha in the year August 2016, has now also been approved by the Lok Sabha in the same year, March 2017.
There are some changes under the law, where the paid maternity leave in India is increased from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for working women. This law is eligible for only those who work in an organization with a minimum of 10 employees. Along with this, prenatal leave is also increased from 6 to 8 weeks. After this, prenatal leave duration has also increased from 6 to 8 weeks, whereas a woman who is the mother of 2 or more children is eligible for 12 weeks of maternity leave. If a woman adopts a child under the age of 3 months, then according to the act, she is also eligible for a leave period of 12 (StartupHRtoolkit).
