Falling pregnant could cost you your career. Despite legislation to outlaw the practice of discriminating against the pregnancy risk, a survey has found that bosses do weigh up the pregnancy risk when it comes to hiring women. Combined with the fact women statistically earn less than their male counterparts, pregnancy can seriously dent a woman's income – and in some cases an individual voluntary arrangement could be one way of managing the financial damage.

Individual voluntary arrangement – the pregnancy risk

Individual voluntary arrangement plans and debt management is increasingly in demand across the UK, but young families are especially vulnerable to money problems. The cost of raising children is high, and for many single parents as well as couples, it can be enough to topple them into difficult debt. The news that pregnant women are being discriminated against in the employment stakes only adds to the risk that debt can become a looming problem for new mums – an individual voluntary arrangement or extreme debt management plans are often necessary – especially to help them safeguard their homes and the stability their homes represent to their children: repossession is a very real risk.

A double whammy

Discrimination combined with the economic instability of the credit crunch can be a double whammy for some; the threat of redundancy or failure to secure jobs for women 'at risk' of pregnancy or who plan to become pregnant leaves a bleak financial future. Individual voluntary arrangement plans could be crucial for those who need to take steps to avoid complete financial meltdown and to get back on a path to financial recovery to safeguard their future. 

Individual voluntary arrangement: the high cost of family

Debt and financial difficulties have always been a problem for single parents and new families, but as housing prices drop and it becomes harder to obtain credit, there are no buffers left to fall back on. More new mums may have to seek out individual voluntary arrangement or debt management plans on top of the stress of dealing with a new born. It is illegal and considered discriminatory to ascertain pregnancy risks. But the survey undertaken by the Employment Law Advisory Services found:

• Just 5% of bosses hired someone knowing they were pregnant
• More than half of UK bosses assess the pregnancy risk before employing a woman
• 76% of managers said they would not recruit a woman if they knew they would fall pregnant within six months of starting the job
• 52% took into account a woman's age and marital status before hiring to assess the pregnancy risk
• 7 out of 10 bosses want more powers to ascertain pregnancy plans and risks before employing new staff.

 Speak to Varden Nuttall About An IVA

Varden Nuttall has been established for over 15 years and is dedicated to helping people in financial difficulty find a debt management solution through an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA). Employing 90 people, including trained and skilled IVA administrators, we are one of the largest IVA companies in the UK and handle over 3% of all IVA applications. To find out more about the company, or to make an appointment to talk about putting an IVA in place, call us today on 0870 977 8100 or fill in our online enquiry form.