New data reveals rising layoffs, unclear return plans, and limited fertility support for working mothers
Despite legal protections, 15 percent of Canadian women who take maternity leave are laid off, dismissed, or not renewed during pregnancy, while on leave, or shortly after returning—equating to about 25,000 women annually, according to a survey by Moms at Work.
The Globe and Mail reported that the Founder Allison Venditti said this rate is three times higher than layoffs in the general population.
The survey, conducted with Hudson Sinclair and Western University demographer Rachel Margolis, gathered responses from more than 1,300 women who gave birth in 2022 and 2023.
The report shows a disconnect between policy and practice. “On paper, the policies are strong; in practice, they fail to address systemic barriers that hold mothers back.”
Over 40 percent considered quitting upon return; 80 percent had no clear return-to-work plan; and 26 percent reported lower earnings post-leave.
According to The Globe and Mail, Arina Kharlamova, a Whitby-based technical writer, was laid off two months into her maternity leave in 2022.
She had trained her replacement, received strong performance reviews, and expected stability. But when her position was cut, she said, “I would have to start from scratch with two little kids, and without a plan.”
While many believe it’s a protected time, she added, “that’s just not the case.”
The Canada Labour Code prohibits dismissal, suspension, layoff, demotion, or discipline based on pregnancy or parental leave. However, employees on leave can be included in broader workforce reductions, and contractors often fall outside protection.
Venditti said many women reported being told to focus on family or that the company needed someone “all-in at work.”
She described them as “women who are talented, committed, all of those things, and they dared to have a baby—the thing that society is screaming at you to do.”
She added that companies are not faceless entities: “These are human beings making decisions to pick the pregnant women and those on mat leave to fire or lay off.”
She said legal recourse is difficult but necessary. “Women who find themselves in this situation should get an employment lawyer stat.” Still, she emphasised that the responsibility lies with employers to change those practices.
Elizabeth Hirsh, professor of sociology at the University of British Columbia, examined about 160 caregiver-related discrimination cases in a 2020 study.
She found that cases tied to bias were rarely successful. “It’s just really hard for workers to prove, or to identify, motherhood bias as the reason for certain decisions,” she said.
Employers often couch those decisions in performance terms, but she noted, “There is very weak evidence for this.”
Systemic gaps extend beyond maternity leave. Fertility and family planning benefits remain largely excluded from health plans.
As reported by Benefits and Pensions Monitor, Gallagher’s 2023 Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey found that while over 80 percent of 504 surveyed Canadian employers offer health plans, only five percent cover fertility treatments.
Most only cover fertility drugs—while costs for in-vitro fertilization average $20,000, egg freezing $8,000, and surrogacy $60,000. Waitlists are long, and provincial coverage is inconsistent.
Financial strain compounds mental health challenges. One respondent said broader support for acupuncture or naturopathic treatments could have helped.
Others stressed the value of schedule flexibility and empathetic communication from leadership.
The article notes that fertility issues, grief from pregnancy loss (which affects one in four pregnancies), and lack of internal bereavement policies also risk absenteeism and long-term disability costs.
Updating group contract language and offering return-to-work supports and peer groups were suggested as mitigation strategies.
Beth Wanner, CEO of Mother Cover, argued that the parental leave challenge lies not in legal gaps but in outdated corporate structures, Benefits and Pensions Monitor reported.
She said many employees internalise the fear that taking leave will harm their careers—especially in leadership. “Even if you can take 12 to 18 months of leave, most fear what that means for their career and what those unconscious biases mean,” she said.
Wanner suggested employers treat leave planning as part of continuity strategy, not disruption. “Being able to plan around all types of life transitions proactively is shaping where cultures are going, but it's also just a smart business strategy as well.”
According to talent firm Robert Half, flexibility remains central to retention.
Their survey showed that 66 percent of working mothers would only consider flexible jobs, and 75 percent reported greater satisfaction with that flexibility.
But, as noted by director Tara Parry, “flexibility means different things to different people”—from remote work to daily autonomy, like attending a school event or dentist appointment without penalty.
Still, more than half of working parents report burnout.
While 70 percent of working mothers feel supported by their managers, Parry emphasised the need for deeper solutions: increased headcount, open conversations, and recognition of daily life demands.
As she put it, “Working moms are like beasts. They can accomplish so much in such a short period of time when you get rid of a lot of the noise around them.”
