Discrimination of the female sex based on pregnancy has been illegal since the 1978 amendment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination for employment because of gender.

Since then, many state laws have also been passed that guarantee women the right to maternity leave after the birth of a child.

The length of time that can be taken for maternity leave varies greatly, however, a woman could possibly be absent from work for several months.

Because of this, more companies will not hire women of child bearing age because they fear the inconvenience and profit loss that it may cause them in the future.

I,myself, worked for a company which very blatantly did not hire women because of pregnancy or factors that lead the owners to believe that the job applicant may become pregnant within a few years. They did not seem to realize on what dangerous legal ground they were treading.

Working for that company made me realize that this is a widespread problem in the U.S. What is the solution? It seems to be sort of a catch 22. If women are entitled to maternity leave, they are less desirable in the job market. If they are not, it is harder to manage having children and starting a family, and would probably cause more woman to leave their work positions in order to have children.

Will women ever really have equal earning potential in the workplace while they are entitled to maternity leave? SHOULD they be entitled to it when they are also obligated to working a full time job? Should men get paternity leave also in order to balance out and resolve the issue? This is a largely ignored topic that deserves some thought.