National data and research have highlighted how pregnancy, maternity and parental leave have an impact on people’s careers. In addition, not enough is known about the number of students that start a course of study while pregnant or become pregnant during their studies or about their experiences of pregnancy and maternity. Advance HE therefore recommends optional monitoring of data on pregnancy and maternity. Data will also ensure that the benefits, facilities and services for staff are adequate in meeting the needs of employees who are pregnant or have taken maternity leave.
In terms of maternity, data from university personnel records around legally defined leave (as compared to asking staff the question) may not capture information for staff who have been working for an institution for under nine months or who were pregnant or recently pregnant at the recruitment stage.
Although there is no legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010 to monitor paternity leave, adoptive leave or individuals taking shared parental leave, institutions may wish to gather this information to better understand the effect that taking this leave has on career progression.
You may wish to ask a combination of these questions and ensure that staff and students and provided with regular opportunities to update this information. Some staff and students may find reference to miscarriages and stillbirths in the following question upsetting. However, it is important for institutions to know how to support pregnant staff and students, regardless of the duration or result of the pregnancy.
Recommended questions:
For both staff and students:
Are you currently pregnant or have you been pregnant in the last calendar year?
This includes pregnancies that did not result in the live birth of an infant, including miscarriages and stillbirths.
- No
- Yes
- Prefer not to say.
For staff only:
In the last 12 months, have you taken any of the following types of leave? (Select all that apply)
- Adoption leave
- Maternity leave
- Paternity leave
- Shared parental leave
- Other (specify, if you wish).
For students only:
In the last 12 months, have you taken time out of your course following any of the below?
- A pregnancy
- Your partner’s pregnancy
- The adoption of a child or children.
In the last 12 months, have you taken any of the following types of leave? (Select all that apply)
- Adoption leave
- Maternity leave
- Paternity leave
- Shared parental leave
- Other (specify, if you wish).