Statement of Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families

WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 15, 2024 – Today, the Biden Administration published a final rule implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), landmark legislation that went into effect last year, securing crucial protections for pregnant workers. The law could protect nearly 2.8 million pregnant workers each year. Black women and other women of color are more likely to work during their pregnancy, and nationally the bill will protect:

• 410,205 Black pregnant workers
• 532,472 Hispanic/ Latina pregnant workers
• 170,255 Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander pregnant workers
• 17,311 American Indian/ Native Alaskan pregnant workers

Jocelyn C. Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families, released the following statement:

“This is an important moment for pregnant workers, those with pregnancy difficulties or complications, and those who are considering having a baby. These workers can now rest assured that the EEOC will uphold their rights in the workplace, whether they need a break for water or to use the bathroom while on the clock, to adjust their working hours or some other accommodation. These rules further strengthen these protections for millions of workers, in spite of recent extreme partisan attempts to overturn this bipartisan law.

“The National Partnership commends the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for thoughtfully responding to the tens of thousands of stakeholder comments, including more than one thousand from advocates working with the National Partnership. These strong rules reflect decades of precedent as well as Congressional intent to safeguard protections for the nearly three million people each year who the National Partnership estimates work while pregnant – and including women of color, who face particular harm – ensuring they have robust protections from discrimination and don’t have to choose between their financial security and a safe and healthy pregnancy.

“This final rule and the entire Pregnant Workers Fairness Act affirm that pregnant workers deserve forceful protections to help preserve the physical and financial well-being of themselves and their families.”

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