Research from Pregnant Then Screwed, in partnership with Women in Data, estimated that 74,000 women a year are potentially fired or made redundant while pregnant or on maternity leave, a sharp 37 per cent increase from the 54,000 women in that situation in 2016.
It also found nearly half (49.5 per cent) of women who were pregnant, on maternity leave or who were returning from maternity leave had a negative experience at work, and one in five of those women subsequently left their employer.
Research from Pregnant Then Screwed, in partnership with Women in Data, estimated that potentially 74,000 women a year are fired or made redundant while pregnant or on maternity leave.
The research, which used a nationally representative sample of 5,870 parents, found that 12.3 per cent of women were sacked, dismissed or made redundant while pregnant, on maternity leave, or within a year of returning to work.
While new laws were introduced in April last year to improve redundancy protections for pregnant women or those on maternity leave, Ms Brearley said the government needed to do more.
