Pregnant Then Screwed

AN EYE-OPENING EXPLORATION OF MODERN MOTHERHOOD PACKED WITH PRACTICAL ADVICE ON NAVIGATING DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE

'It's the book that proves working mothers are shamefully mistreated' - Daily Mail
'Brearley's book leaves no stone unturned in what needs to be done to remedy these problems going forward' - Vogue UK
'Joeli is one of the most tenacious and impressive campaigners I know, and her work has had a massive positive impact on the lives of thousands of women. Her work is invaluable, from setting up a vital lifeline for women to learn about their rights on maternity discrimination, to the frontlines of the Covid-19 crisis, where she battled for women not to be left out of the picture altogether.' - Laura Bates

Imagine suddenly being sacked from your job. After spending years building your career, it's all taken away in just one moment. Why? Because you told your boss you are pregnant.

This happened to Joeli Brearley. And she quickly realised she wasn't alone - 54,000 women a year are forced out of their job because they dared to procreate, and three quarters of working mothers face workplace discrimination. And this was before the pandemic, with its never-ending cycle of extraordinary childcare challenges and overt pregnancy and maternity discrimination, resulting in a tsumani of mothers exiting the labour force.
Pregnant Then Screwed is an expose of the unscrupulous work practices and antiquated systems that we've been conditioned to accept and a toolkit for how to challenge them. It's full of practical advice to help you navigate systemic barriers when they slap you in the face.

Whether you're a mother who is sick of being sidelined, undermined, and underpaid. A ''stay at home'' mother who wants to work but can't. A future parent who is scared that having children will affect your career. An employer who wants to get the best out of its parent employees, or you simply want a stronger, fairer economy, Pregnant Then Screwed is a compelling manifesto for change and a call to arms for all women.

Auteur

Joeli Brearley founded Pregnant Then Screwed after being sacked when she was four months pregnant. She writes for the Telegraph and the Independent and speaks about the motherhood penalty all over the world. She is one of the Observer's 50 New Radicals of 2018, an Amnesty International Women Human Rights Defender, winner of the Northern Power Women 'Agent for Change' award, and her national demonstration - 'March of the Mummies' - won PR Week top campaign. She was described by Elle Magazine as: 'Fearsome and funny.' Her writing on the issue was described by one Telegraph commenter as: 'A massive pile of whiny nonsense.'

Texte du rabat

Joeli Brearley was sacked the day after she told her boss she was pregnant. She thought this was a one-off, until she discovered that in the UK alone 54,000 women every year are forced out of their jobs due to pregnancy or maternity discrimination. Seventy-seven per cent of working mothers have been treated negatively at work. A third of employers say they would avoid hiring women of child-bearing age.

Unable to accept how many women and families were suffering with the economic and psychological repercussions of such discrimination, Brearley launched Pregnant Then Screwed - a space for women to share their stories, get legal advice and coaching, and to campaign.

Full of practical tools and tips for when you need to fight back and stories from women who've been there and done that, Pregnant Then Screwed is a tour of modern working motherhood. The impossible challenges, the structures that hold mothers back, the difficult conversations, the race to the school gate - and how we can dismantle it and build a fairer system for everyone.

Whether you're a mum pushed to the edge by your employer or riddled with guilt, a stay-at-home mum who wants to work but can't, an employer who wants to get the best out of its parent employees, or you simply want a stronger, fairer economy, Pregnant Then Screwed makes a compelling case for change at home, at work and in the boardroom.