For almost four out of five women the answer to that questions is 'no'. The overwhelming majority of women feel that any reference to harbouring a working uterus could jeopardise their chances of landing the role.

 

The survey carried out by Glassdoor, an online jobs and careers community, polled 1,000 working women in the UK - 500 of whom have already taken maternity leave and 500 whom plan to do so in the future.

 

Why do women keep schtum on the topic of maternity benefits? Half said they would be scared potential employers would assume they are already pregnant.

 

Perhaps more worrying though, one in five women feared they would not be taken seriously by employers if they mentioned the 'm' word, almost a third (31 per cent) felt it would hinder their career progression even if they did land the role and 15 per cent felt it would stop them getting a fair salary.

 

Speaking to MailOnline about the study, employment relations minister Jo Swinson said: 'Pregnancy² discrimination is unacceptable and illegal. Women deserve the right to pursue their goals and not feel they have to choose between having a successful career or having a baby.'

 

The survey also highlighted that women's reticence³ to make reference to maternity benefits doesn't end when they're in a job.

 

Twenty two per cent would wait until they had passed their probation⁴ period to ask their line manager about their maternity rights.

 

Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) would avoid discussing it with their boss altogether and opt⁵ to discuss it with a trusted colleague instead.

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