Pregnant Women More Productive With Flexible Leave, Study Finds
December 17, 2012 — Offering pregnant women a more flexible work schedule could help them be more productive employees, according to a study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the Huffington Post reports.
Researchers studied 2,918 pregnant working women in Scandinavia who completed questionnaires at 17 weeks and 32 weeks of gestation. Thirty-five percent of participants cited fatigue and sleeping problems, 32% experienced pelvic girdle pain, and 23% had nausea or vomiting.
In total, 75% of the women took sick leave during their pregnancy. The 60% of women who said they were offered flexible work schedules took an average of seven fewer sick days than other women.
John Thorp, BJOG deputy editor-in-chief, in a release said the findings show "a clear link between working conditions and the duration of sick leave, which highlights the potential benefits for employers to have a support system in place" (Huffington, Huffington Post, 12/13).
The information contained in this publication reflects media coverage of women’s health issues and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
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The Editors
Debra Ness, publisher & president, National Partnership
Andrea Friedman, associate editor & director of reproductive health programs, National Partnership
Marya Torrez, associate editor & senior reproductive health policy counsel, National Partnership
Melissa Safford, associate editor & policy advocate for reproductive health, National Partnership
Perry Sacks, assistant editor & health program associate, National Partnership
Cindy Romero, assistant editor & communications assistant, National Partnership
Justyn Ware, editor
Amanda Wolfe, editor-in-chief
Heather Drost, Hanna Jaquith, Marcelle Maginnis, Ashley Marchand and Michelle Stuckey, staff writers
Tucker Ball, director of new media, National Partnership
