Privacy notice for research on pregnancy/maternity discrimination and maternal outcomes
This privacy notice sets out the legal basis for processing data in relation to a research project on pregnancy/maternity discrimination and maternal outcomes, being conducted by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES). This notice includes who will have access to your personal data, how your data will be used, how it will be stored and deleted, your legal rights and who you can contact with a query, withdrawal request, rectification, or a complaint.
Data protection legislation and personal data
Data protection legislation determines how, when and why any organisation can process personal data. ‘Personal data’ means any information which can identify someone such as name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.
‘Processing’ means any actions performed on personal data, including: collection, storage, alteration or deletion. These laws exist to ensure that your data are managed safely and used responsibly. They also provide you with certain rights in respect of your data and creates a responsibility on the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) and the research organisations it works with to provide you with certain information.
The legal basis for processing personal data
The legal basis under which the DBT and its contractors will process personal data is public task (Article 6(1)(e) of UK GDPR), as the research supports the development of public policy under Section 127 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012. Where ‘special category data’, such as information about your health and well-being or ethnicity, is processed, this is done under Article 9(2)(g): for substantial public interest, and Article 9(2)(j): for research purposes, with appropriate safeguards in place. This ensures that participants retain their rights under data protection law, including the right to access, rectify, or object to the use of their data.
These legal justifications apply to this research project, which aims to inform policy development for the Employment Rights Bill; to inform options for enhanced dismissal protections for mothers and parents in secondary legislation; and to collect baseline data on the prevalence of pregnancy/maternity discrimination and unfair treatment at the workplace.
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) of the UK Government is the Data Controller for this project.
A link to the Department for Business and Trade’s own Privacy Notice is here - https://www.business.gov.uk/privacy/
The Institute for Employment Studies (IES) is the Data Processor.
About the study
The study will involve:
- In-depth interviews with pregnant women, mothers and parents who have experienced unfair treatment or discrimination at their workplace. These will include discussions around the nature of discrimination faced, awareness of rights, any legal action taken and impact on the individual.
- In-depth interviews with employers to understand their awareness of legislation and what this looks like in practice to address and minimise unfair treatment.
- Analysis of publicly available employment tribunal case data
- Analysis of other secondary labour market data sources to understand the extent of discrimination against pregnant employees, mothers and parents.
A project advisory group has been created to provide independent expertise and advice to the project. Our expert advisory group comprises representatives from Working Families, Maternity Action, the Trade Union Congress and the British Chambers of Commerce. Advisory group members will facilitate recruitment via a survey questionnaire for participants to opt into the research.
The types of data collected
If you choose to take part in the study, IES will collect personal data from your opt-in form. This includes your name, contact details, experiences of unfair treatment or discrimination, age, ethnicity, employment type and sector, and number of children. This information will be used to invite some people to take part in qualitative interviews. In case of employers, we will collect name, contact details and relevant organisational information.
Participation in these interviews is entirely voluntary, and you are under no obligation to take part if contacted.
During the interviews, additional personal data may be collected, including details about the timing and nature of discrimination, your employment history and circumstances, and your experiences related to pregnancy, maternity, and parental leave in the workplace.
Personal data collected through any of the above methods will only be processed for the purposes of completing this research, under the direction of the Department of Business and Trade (DBT).
Given the sensitive nature of the subject, all personal data will be handled with enhanced safeguards to ensure privacy and protection.
Participation in interviews will be based on ethical informed consent. This means individuals will receive a full briefing on the study, including their rights to pause or withdraw at any time without consequence.
To support participant wellbeing, we will provide information on relevant support services following the interview, helping to ensure appropriate safeguarding throughout the research process.
Who will have access to my personal data?
All personal data will be stored on an encrypted server, with access restricted solely to approved members of the research team. No personal data will be shared with DBT or members of the Advisory Group. Advisory group members will not have access to your personal data or know whether you opted into the research.
If you agree to take part in the research, any information you provide will be pseudonymised as early as possible. This means that any details that could identify you will be removed or replaced to protect your privacy.
All published findings will be presented in a fully anonymised format, ensuring that no individual can be identified from the results.
How will my data be treated?
If you are invited and choose to take part in the study by filling the opt-in form or interview, the information you give will only be used for purposes of this study. IES will produce a report analysing the themes across participants and summarising the main findings from across all the research activities. This report will be shared with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). It may also be published and made publicly available on the gov.uk and IES website. Individuals will not be named in the reports, nor will any information be included that could reveal their identity. No personal data on any participant will be shared or accessed by the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) at any point of time as part of this research.
Data protection law requires that personal data are kept for no longer than is necessary. We will anonymise the information you provide as soon as we practically can (i.e., within 2 weeks of the interview date). The personal data we used to contact you will be securely deleted from the IES systems six months after the project is complete (currently estimated to be September 2026).
Who can I contact if I would like to withdraw my interview data?
You have rights to make the following requests about the personal data that is held about you, which is being processed for this research, including:
- to request access to this data
- to amend any incorrect or inaccurate information
- to restrict or object to your data being processed
- to destroy this data
- to move, copy or transfer your data
You have the right to withdraw the information you have provided as part of the interviews up to 2 weeks after the interview date. After this point the information will have been anonymised and will no longer be treated as personal data.
If you have taken part in an interview but would like your data withdrawn, please contact the project manager, Dr. Meenakshi Krishnan at meenakshi.krishnan@employment-studies.co.uk
Who can I contact with a query about how my data will be used?
If you have any questions about how your data will be used, please contact Dr. Meenakshi Krishnan, Project Manager at IES: meenakshi.krishnan@employment-studies.co.uk
Who can I contact with a complaint?
Further information on the rights available to you is also available from the Information Commissioner’s Office - the independent body responsible for regulating data protection within the UK. They can also deal with any complaints you may have regarding our use of your data:
- Tel: 0303 123 1113
- Email: casework@ico.org.uk
- Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF