Maternity Action is the UKs maternity rights charity dedicated to promoting, protecting and enhancing the rights of all pregnant women, new mothers and their families to employment, social security and healthcare.

We aim to reduce poverty, promote health and improve gender equality throughout maternity and the early years with a special focus on achieving lasting changes for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged women.

The current economic situation and high rate of inflation is placing many households in serious financial difficulties. The impact of this has been particularly harsh on pregnant women and new mothers, with a delay to the increase in statutory maternity pay and maternity benefits, and the flat rate of statutory maternity pay being equal to less than half of the national minimum legal wage. More than 54,000 mothers lose their job each year due to pregnancy discrimination, costing mothers in excess of £76 million annually in lost pay and benefits.

The Maternity Rights Advice Service delivers free, expert telephone and email advice to pregnant women and new parents on employment rights, maternity pay, maternity benefits and breastfeeding rights. Our specialist employment lawyers speak to hundreds of women every year dealing with unsafe working conditions, wrongly being placed on sick leave or unpaid leave, and unfair redundancy.

We also deliver the Maternity Care Access Advice Service (MCAAS), with specialist immigration lawyers providing advice and casework on charging for NHS care to migrant and asylum seeking women, midwives and advisers. We continue to campaign for all women to have access to the healthcare they need, and challenge hostile environment policies which deter women from attending for care and leave many with debts of £7,000 or more.

However, there is still much work to be done. Following the 2008 downturn, Maternity Action saw high rates of unfair redundancies and other forms of maternity discrimination and we are seeing a repeat of this situation. Migrant and asylum seeking women continue to face restricted entitlement to healthcare, housing and benefits.

Our advisers answered more than 3,600 calls last year. With your help, we can respond to more women who need sound and reliable legal advice to

Your donation will help us to answer more calls from women who desperately need our support.

Thank you!