The New York City Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) requires New York City employers with four or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, unless the employer can demonstrate that the accommodation would cause an undue hardship.
According to the New York City Council Committee on Civil Rights, an employee’s otherwise healthy pregnancy may require a workplace accommodation, such as periodic breaks, because the stress resulting from a failure to obtain a reasonable accommodation could adversely affect a pregnant woman’s health. The Committee reported that this issue was critical given that women in New York City are the primary or co-breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of families, and single mothers head 34.2% of all households with children and over 82% of single-parent households.