Managing pregnancy disclosures: Understanding and overcoming the challenges of expectant motherhood at work Eden B. King ⁎, Whitney E. Botsford 1 George Mason University, Department of Psychology, 4400 University Drive, MSN 3F5, Fairfax, VA 22030, United States article info abstract A common, complex, and underexamined aspect of women's experience at work emerges when work and motherhood intersect for the first time; pregnant workers are challenged by the need to manage their impressions and identities. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to propose a model and corresponding propositions for understanding the determinants and outcomes of pregnancy disclosure. We extend stigma theory to the case of pregnant workers and explore the antecedents and consequences associated with timing of expectant status disclosure from the perspectives of pregnant women and their colleagues. We describe negative intra- and interpersonal experiences that may be encountered by pregnant women that may account for their departure from the workforce, thereby providing insight into the issues that may exacerbate (or ameliorate) turnover among working mothers. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Pregnancy Disclosure Stigma Family-Friendly Policies 1. Introduction “Pregnancy, bringing a life into the world, is a normal occurrence…You shouldn't feel ashamed of it, you shouldn't feel like you're different or you're going to lose your job over it or anything else. You shouldn't feel awkward about going to your supervisor about it. If that had been spelled out a little bit more, it would have made things just slightly easier. You know?” (Interview subject; V. Major, 2004) Arguably one of the most challenging aspects of many women's employment experiences emerges at the intersection of work and pregnancy, when women and their employers must juggle the physiological and psychological aspects of expectant motherhood with the practical and costly demands of their jobs (Pattison & Gross, 1996). Recent estimates suggest that such situations are common, as 80–90% of women will be employed during their pregnancy (Fried, 2000; Johnson, 2008) leaving 38% of the workforce to experience the transition to motherhood (Williams, Manvell, & Bornstein, 2006). Unfortunately, preliminary evidence suggests that many Americans believe that pregnant employees limit team productivity, should not be hired or promoted, and should be given fewer concessions by organizations (Gueutal & Taylor,1991; Gueutal, Luciano, & Michaels,1995). Experimental research confirms these survey results, demonstrating that compared to women who did not appear to be pregnant, women who were ostensibly pregnant were treated with greater hostility when they applied for jobs (Hebl, King, Glick, Kazama, & Singletary, 2007) and received lower performance evaluations (Halpert, Wilson, & Hickman, 1993). Thus, extant research suggests that women will likely encounter negative workplace experiences when they become pregnant. Human Resource Management Review 19 (2009) 314–323 ⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1703 993 1620; fax: +1 703 993 7289. E-mail addresses: eking6@gmu.edu (E.B. King), wbotsfor@gmu.edu (W.E. Botsford). 1 Tel.: +1 703 993 1620; fax: +1 703 993 7289. 1053-4822/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2009.03.003 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Human Resource Management Review journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/humres