Policy and the Pregnant Body at Work: Strategies of Secrecy, Silence and Supra-performance

Abstract

This article considers how women manage their pregnant bodies at work. Through netnographic research and drawing upon feminist discussions of the leaky pregnant body, I examine the experiences of US and UK women who correspond on interactive websites or chat rooms. Drawing upon 'expert advice' and the experiences of employed pregnant women in this study, I suggest that the bodily manifestations of pregnancy are taboo in some workplaces. I note how these women did not appear to draw upon policy as a resource for dealing with negative reactions to pregnancy from colleagues and employers. Instead, they tended to adopt strategies of secrecy, silence and supra-performance in order to try and blend in. In the context of these strategies, I demonstrate how women's attempts to manage and control their bodies are severely compromised during pregnancy, when the body may be leaky and unpredictable.

‘Working out’ for two: performances of ‘fitness’ and femininity in Australian prenatal aerobics classes

“…As popular constructions of pregnancy reiterate that women are to be in control of their bodies, exercising was a primary means for my informants to achieve a sexually attractive, feminine pregnant body. Moreover, while exercise may have the appearance of a 'leisure' activity, pregnancy exercise sometimes took on the characteristics of 'work' as women tried to fit exercise into their lives (see Gatrell 2008Gatrell , 2010. On the other hand, exercise was viewed by informants as a site of 'empowerment' and personal achievement.…”

“…A point that can be made is that while broadly encouraging the discipline of pregnant bodies, the fitness spaces also relieved women from the pressure to hide their bodies from 'public' sight. The display of pregnant bodies in fitness clothing, to some extent, contrasts with the sartorial pressures of the workplace as an environment where clothing is used to control information about the pregnancy for fear of potential discrimination or negative social consequences (Gatrell 2008;Nash 2009).…”

“…A number of feminist scholars have also discussed maternal bodies as primary sources of abjection (see Kristeva 1982;Grosz 1989;Ussher 2006;Gatrell 2011). Although I do not refer to my interviewees' bodies as 'abject', this concept is useful for explaining an ongoing instability of selfhood associated with pregnant embodiment.…”

“…Contemporary pregnant bodies are subject to an inordinate amount of social scrutiny in contemporary Australia; women must 'work' to achieve a pregnant body that conforms to social expectations of 'good' motherhood and a variety of other cultural norms for feminine bodily comportment (see Bordo 1993a;Gross and Pattison 2007;Gatrell 2008Gatrell , 2011. A 'fit' pregnancy is a culturally sanctioned and celebrated body shape in Australia in which a taut, tight 'baby bump' is perceived to be an achievement.…”

Good practice in occupational health services – The influence of hazardous conditions and nuisance coexisting in the work environment and at home on the course and outcome of pregnancy

“…Panuje bowiem przekonanie, że ciężarne są bezradne, mniej zrówno-ważone emocjonalnie, łatwo tracą kontrolę nad swoim ciałem i psychiką oraz że nie można na nich polegać [51][52][53]. W konsekwencji -mimo wprowadzenia przepisów zakazujących dyskryminację i deklarowania polityki sprzyjającej równowadze życia prywatnego i zawodowego -wiele kobiet w ciąży doświadcza dyskryminacji w pracy, spotyka się w nieprzyjaznymi reakcjami i odczuwa silną presję wewnętrzną i zewnętrz-ną, żeby utrzymać wysoką efektywność (wyższą nawet niż przed zajściem w ciążę) [51,52]. To wszystko może być przyczyną silnego stresu.…”