Pregnancy could get women fired in 38 nations, says World Bank

The pandemic has contributed to an increase in violence against women and is reinforcing gender inequality in many countries

There are still almost 40 countries where women can be fired from their jobs simply for getting pregnant, World Bank Chief Economist Carmen Reinhart said in a discussion on how the pandemic is making it even harder for women to escape poverty.
 
Speaking on Bloomberg Television in a conversation with Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, director of strategy and policy at the IMF, Reinhart said the economic fallout from Covid-19 had been “very regressive,” hitting the most vulnerable hardest, including women.
 
“We are seeing big setbacks on schooling, girls are taken out that will not return,” said Reinhart, speaking on International