Executive Order 11246 prohibits sex and race discrimination in the federal contractor workforce, but it has not been rigorously enforced to protect federal contract employees from sex discrimination on the basis of pregnancy or caregiving responsibilities. The U.S. Department of Labor should update its Executive Order 11246 compliance manual and train its enforcement officers to ensure that pregnant workers are provided with a reasonable period of leave to recover from childbirth and are reinstated upon return to work. And the department should help employers and enforcement officers understand how to prevent sex discrimination related to gender stereotyping about caregiving responsibilities by publishing guidance modeled on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s guidance on the unlawful treatment of workers with caregiving responsibilities.
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