Sign up for the editor's
weekly newsletter
- Sweden edition
- Change edition:
- France |
- Germany |
- Norway |
- Switzerland
Reader Offer
February 9, 2012
Woman gets damages for pregnancy job snub
Published: 31 Jul 10 11:17 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/28112/20100731/
A 29-year-old woman is to receive 100,000 kronor ($14,000) in damages after reaching an out of court settlement with a home electronics store in western Sweden which cited her pregnancy as grounds for not offering her a permanent job.
- Air pollution worse than smoking mother: study (5 Feb 12)
- Mothers on antidepressants pose risk for newborns: Swedish study (14 Jan 12)
- Men sue Swedish police for sexual discrimination (14 Nov 11)
Since her employer had expressed satisfaction with her work, she decided to submit a formal application for the vacancy. She was told that her pregnancy would preclude her from being considered for the position but pushed ahead with the application regardless.
Some days later she queried the matter with the owner of the store as it became clear that she wasn’t going to be called for an interview. She secretly recorded the conversation as the owner informed her that the company was too small to employ somebody who was expecting a child in August and would soon be on maternity leave.
The Equality Ombudsman agreed to take up her case and reached a settlement on her behalf. Though the electronics store denied any wrongdoing, the woman's erstwhile employer agreed to pay the woman 100,000 kronor in damages rather than pursue the matter in court.
Since January 2009 the Equality Ombudsman has reached settlements in 19 cases of discrimination related to pregnancy or parental leave.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Fark It!
Digg This
Share everywhere
Send to a friend
Printable version
Twitter ThisToday's headlines
Disgruntled 'Black Cobra' threatens hairdresser
A man in southern Sweden has been charged with assault after threatening to ‘bring in his gang’ to a local hairdressing salon after being refused a haircut. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
SKIING IN SWEDEN
Five reasons I can't stand skiing: an Aussie's pain
Having just returned from a ‘horror ski trip’, The Local’s resident Aussie and first-time skier Oliver Gee wonders why Swedes find such pleasure in hurling themselves down snowy hills. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
'Drunkorexia' on the rise in Sweden: report
An increasing number of young Swedes are starving themselves by day to be able to binge on calorie-rich alcoholic drinks by night, as a well known phenomenon in the US is becoming more common in Sweden. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
Swedes' anti-gay flyers not free speech: court
Sweden’s Supreme Court was right to convict four men of hate crimes for distributing "offensive" homophobic flyers at a school, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
'Dapper' Stockholm axe man attacks 71-year-old
A 71-year-old was attacked in central Stockholm at the end of January by a “well-dressed” man, threatening to kill him while splitting his skull in two with an axe. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
Stockholm train in violent crash with truck
Several passengers on a commuter train were taken to hospital and the train driver had to be cut loose by emergency services after a train and a truck collided in Stockholm on Thursday morning. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
H&M under fire over Cambodia mass faintings
H&M has been criticized for choosing not to attend a hearing to highlight poor conditions for textile workers in Cambodia, where hundreds of employees at a plant run by the Swedish fashion giant mysteriously passed out in August. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
Two Swedes arrested for sex crimes in New York
Two high-ranking Swedish executives with an e-commerce start-up have been charged with sexually assaulting a teenager in a New York hotel room at the weekend. READ (24 COMMENTS) »
More Society
- 08/02 Star Wars in Swedish causes fan outrage (20 comments) »
- 08/02 Bones and guts in military 'horror dungeon' (4 comments) »
- 08/02 Man performed surgery on his own dog (11 comments) »
- 07/02 Madonna set for July 4th concert in Sweden (8 comments) »
- 07/02 Swedish mother gave 3-year-old cigs and beer (14 comments) »
- 06/02 Police teacher warned after 'monkey' comments (14 comments) »
- 06/02 89-year-old convicted for shopping cart assault (23 comments) »
- 05/02 Sleep like a 'tramp' at chic Stockholm store (8 comments) »
- 04/02 Retrial ordered after judge falls asleep (8 comments) »
- 03/02 Stealthy snake hid inside hotel trouser press (8 comments) »
20 things to know before moving to Sweden
As diverse as Sweden is, there are a few societal norms that are distinctly Swedish. Understanding a handful of them will hopefully prepare you culturally before you relocate. When you're invited home to a Swede, you better be on time and take your shoes off, writes expat Lola Akinmade-Åkerström. Read more »
How far can English take you in Sweden?
Sweden is a country where almost everyone can speak English. So why bother to learn Swedish? Edina Varnagy from Hungary managed with English for a whole year but then found that Swedish could open doors – to a job, a social life and greater understanding. Read more »
Blog Update: The Diplomatic Dispatch
"You know what they say about London buses: you wait ages for one then two come at once. So it is with blogs. This week (6 February, in fact) marks an historic day for Britain. 60 years ago, a young Princess became Queen. It was a Britain very different from today. Still a colonial power in much..." READ »
- 03/2 14:27 Digital Growth and Flying French Fries (Brits Mean Business)
- 29/1 22:20 Present on a Sunday afternoon (Julie's Nordic Island)
- 26/1 17:22 Long time listener, first time caller (Snuggling With the Enemy)
Highlights
|
|
Swedish word of the day
fin
adjective
Fin means anyhting from sweet to proper. When someone says, Du är så fin it's quite a compliment.
Blog
New book about Sweden – get to know the country
Sweden – Up North, Down to Earth is a book about Sweden today. A country of natural beauty and open space, and a society focused on equality, human rights and sustainability. Meet regular and astonishing Swedes, supercars and indie rock bands, vampires and royalties.
Buy your copy of Sweden – Up North, Down to Earth from Sweden Bookshop
In cooperation with DoToday
Register
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
Jobs in Sweden, in English
538 jobs available
253 new jobs this week
52 new jobs today
- Accounts Receivable Team Leader
- Senior within IT Service Management - Changes, Releases, Incidents, Problems?
- Technical assistance technician
- Java based Software Engineer - Videoplaza
- Chemical engineer/ Researcher
- Falck is looking for a dynamic and dedicated Country Manager
- Sound Designer
- Swedbank is looking for a Senior Project manager till Business Support, Treasury Analytics&Reporting
- Project Planner to Offshore Wind Connections
- Quant Risk Modelers / Market Risk
Noticeboard
Discuss
- 17:25 Immigration guy looking for work
- 17:01 Have you ever seen ghost in Sweden?
- 16:22 Now Capello has quit/been sacked
- 16:16 Train Trip North
- 16:01 Do you get depressed reading Thelocal news?
- 15:43 What is death?
- 15:36 How to get health care for non personal number
- 15:15 Irish Girl has just moved to Sweden!
- 15:02 Things to remember while buying a fritidshus
- 14:41 Most innovative and 'stylish' companies...
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
English Speaking Therapist Stockholm
British-Australian Male Counsellor. Counselling Therapy for Depression, Mental Health, Sex, Relationship & Expat Issues
08-559 22 636 or CLICK HERE
British-Australian Male Counsellor. Counselling Therapy for Depression, Mental Health, Sex, Relationship & Expat Issues
08-559 22 636 or CLICK HERE
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Doctor of Psychology
Therapy in English in Stockholm Trained in California Individuals & Couples (08) 93 81 48 FREE phone consultation
Visit anxiousorblue.se
Therapy in English in Stockholm Trained in California Individuals & Couples (08) 93 81 48 FREE phone consultation
Visit anxiousorblue.se
Get on the Tennis Court with www.babolatshop.se
The new Online Tennis Store with the largest selection of Babolat Products in Sweden
http://www.babolatshop.se
The new Online Tennis Store with the largest selection of Babolat Products in Sweden
http://www.babolatshop.se
Turning Point Counseling
Turning Point Counselling centre offers the international community of Stockholm a safe space for personal development, counselling and coaching.
http://www.turning-point.se/show.asp
Turning Point Counselling centre offers the international community of Stockholm a safe space for personal development, counselling and coaching.
http://www.turning-point.se/show.asp
Swedish Down Town
Swedish Down Town PR Consulting and Productions is an innovative business company which provides valuable assistance with Public Relations and Communications in the swedish and the international market.
www.swedishdowntown.com
Swedish Down Town PR Consulting and Productions is an innovative business company which provides valuable assistance with Public Relations and Communications in the swedish and the international market.
www.swedishdowntown.com
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.
The owner was correct.
She had only work there for two weeks.
I think she was just looking for a pay day.
This does nothing to help women as more owner will not hire people like her for part time work because they don't want to have to pay the money like this owner.
This sounds like worker rights gone wrong.
Bias against pregnant women is a silent, rarely talked about but frequent occurrence. Even in Canada, pregnancy and discrimination go hand in hand far too frequently. There have been cases brought before the courts and employers reprimanded for their rights violations.
If she was being discriminated against why shouldn't she record their violation of her rights? It's against the law to discriminate based on race and religion, why should this be any different?
I agree 100%
The employer would not have been forced to pay damages if he/she had lied and said "there have been shortcomings in the way you handled your duties, and therefore we unfortunately cannot hire you". Then the woman who was recording the conversation would have had no basis for a damages claim.
Lesson to employers: you are encouraged to lie.