Woman Says She Was Fired for Being Pregnant

The pregnancy penalty.
The pregnancy penalty. Photo: Tetra Images/Getty Images

A woman selling makeup for Dolce & Gabbana at Saks Fifth Avenue has sued D&G’s parent company, Procter & Gamble, for alleging she was fired by the company when she became noticeably pregnant.

Tiffany Kantrowitz got pregnant toward the end of 2014, and in a new suit against the company she alleges the small things she needed in order to keep working, like a stool to sit on, were routinely denied her until she was eventually fired for “for having tester items in her personal belongings against company rule.” But Krantowitz claims she was fired because pregnancy was not encouraged or allowed in the workplace. Before Kantrowitz got pregnant, she had discussed the idea with a manager, who had reportedly told her, “Pregnancy is not part of the uniform.”

It is remarkably common for women to attempt to hide their pregnancies at work so that they are not discriminated against by their employers. In a response to a request for comment by ThinkProgress, a spokesperson for Procter & Gamble wrote, “Ms. Kantrowitz was terminated for cause following an internal investigation. P&G has been, and continues to be widely respected for our commitment to diversity and inclusion and the many programs we have in place to support working mothers.”

Woman Says She Was Fired for Being Pregnant