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| Maternity Action | |
|---|---|
| Name | Maternity Action |
| Formation | 1980 |
| Type | Charity |
| Purpose | Women's rights; workplace pregnancy rights; employment law |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Region served | United Kingdom |
Maternity Action is a United Kingdom-based charity and advocacy organization focused on pregnancy rights, parental leave, and workplace protections for pregnant women and new parents. It provides legal advice, policy analysis, litigation support, and public campaigns to influence legislation and employer practice. The organization engages with trade unions, charities, statutory bodies, and elected officials to secure statutory protections and enforcement.
Maternity Action was established in 1980 amid debates about workplace protections, maternity leave entitlements, and sex discrimination in employment. Early activity intersected with campaign networks around the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, and initiatives led by groups such as Shelter (charity), Refuge (United Kingdom), and Citizens Advice. The organization worked alongside women's rights advocates associated with figures like Diana, Princess of Wales-era charities and supported reforms that culminated in later legislation including the Employment Rights Act 1996 and directives influenced by the European Court of Justice. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s it partnered with legal clinics, trades union bodies including the Trades Union Congress and campaigners linked to the Fawcett Society and Equality and Human Rights Commission-era advocacy. In the 2010s and 2020s Maternity Action contributed expertise during consultations involving ministers from administrations led by Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson.
Maternity Action's mission centers on protecting the rights of pregnant employees and new parents within statutory frameworks such as Maternity Leave, Parental Leave regimes, and anti-discrimination laws. It offers direct legal advice and casework support comparable to services provided by organizations like LawWorks and Justice (charity), and collaborates with regulatory bodies including Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. The charity runs helplines akin to those operated by Age UK and Mind (charity), conducts training for employer groups including ACAS-style outreach, and furnishes resources for trade unions such as Unison, GMB (trade union), Unite the Union, and NASUWT. It also engages policymakers across devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and liaises with parliamentary committees including the Women and Equalities Committee.
Campaigns have targeted statutory rights and employer compliance through strategic litigation, policy submissions, and public communications. Maternity Action has supported test cases in employment tribunals and engaged with senior legal actors including representatives from the Bar Council and the Law Society of England and Wales. Campaign themes overlap with those of charities such as Pregnancy Sickness Support, Tommy's (charity), and Birthrights, and with parliamentary cross-party groups on maternal health and workplace equality. The organization has campaigned for enhanced statutory payments comparable in ambition to proposals advocated by think tanks such as the Resolution Foundation and Institute for Fiscal Studies, and has submitted evidence to inquiries led by bodies like the National Audit Office and the Equality and Human Rights Commission. It has coordinated with campaigns associated with public figures and movements including supporters from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and unions aligned with the Labour Party (UK), while engaging with policy fora where voices from Conservative Party (UK), Liberal Democrats (UK), and independent MPs participate.
Maternity Action produces policy briefings, legal guides, and reports synthesizing case law and survey data. Its outputs are used by practitioners and policymakers alongside research from institutions such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Institute for Public Policy Research, and universities including University of Oxford, London School of Economics, University College London, King's College London, University of Cambridge, and University of Manchester. Publications address intersections with public health actors like the National Health Service (England), maternal charities including Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Royal College of Midwives, and social policy research from entities such as Save the Children and Barnardo's. Maternity Action's legal briefings reflect developments in case law from tribunals and courts including the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and engage with European jurisprudence from institutions like the Court of Justice of the European Union when relevant.
The organization is governed by a board of trustees drawn from legal, academic, and advocacy backgrounds, operating within regulatory frameworks set by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Funding streams have included philanthropic grants from foundations such as the Barrow Cadbury Trust, collaborative funding from bodies like the Big Lottery Fund, and project grants from trusts aligned with social justice missions similar to those of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. It has also received support via partnerships with trade unions, pro bono legal assistance from firms represented through the LawWorks network, and donations from private benefactors. Oversight mechanisms mirror best practice guidance from the Institute of Fundraising.
Maternity Action's casework and advocacy have influenced statutory guidance, tribunal outcomes, and employer policies affecting thousands of workers, and its expertise has been cited in parliamentary debates and select committee reports. The charity has collaborated with major unions and maternal health organizations and has been recognized by legal and policy communities including the Law Society of England and Wales, the Bar Council, academic centres at institutions like Queen Mary University of London, and advocacy networks such as Women in Public Life. Its contributions have informed reforms and sparked media coverage across outlets that report on employment law and social policy.
Category:Charities based in London Category:Women's organisations based in England