- Researchers surveyed 2,000 people in the United Kingdom who had received fertility treatments.
- 43% said they had faced negative comments and attitudes from colleagues.
One in five workers undergoing fertility treatments has left their job because of the treatment they received during the process, a report reveals.
Researchers surveyed 2,000 people in the UK who had undergone fertility treatments in the past five years, such as IVF.
They found that 43 percent said they had faced negative comments and attitudes from colleagues.
A fifth said they left their job because of the way their employer treated them, while another 33 per cent said they considered leaving their workplace.
The figures suggest that women are more likely to be affected by men, especially low-income or single women.
Researchers surveyed 2,000 people in the UK who had received fertility treatments in the past five years, such as IVF.
Half of the women (but only 8 percent of the men) said they had kept it a secret from top bosses.
The top three reasons people kept their fertility treatment a secret were that it felt too personal, worry that it wouldn’t work, and fear of being judged or misunderstood by colleagues or superiors.
As many as 83 percent argued that it is important for workplaces to provide the same support to those trying to have a baby as to those who are expecting or already have a child.
The research, commissioned by Totaljobs, was carried out in collaboration with women’s rights charity Fawcett Society.
Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: “We believe in workplaces that work for all women, at every stage of our careers and lives.
“This report shows unequivocally that women, and especially minority women, feel the impact of fertility treatment on their ability to advance at work, but that supportive workplaces can make a big difference in ensuring that women do not have to choose between their work and their desire to have children.
“When half of women choose not to tell anyone at work that they are receiving fertility treatment, as opposed to only 8 percent of men, as this report shows, it is clear that there is a significant gap in how men and women undergo fertility treatment. perceived on the path to parenthood.’
