Effects of Fetal-Protection Policies on Women Workers

Exclusionary work policies, known as fetal-protection policies, have a rationale and focus on women that is similar to those of the outlawed protective labor laws. These policies are prominent in male-dominated industries, such as chemical refineries, paint-manufacturing plants, and the auto industry. This article explores the relationship between these policies and the outlawed labor laws, examines the effects of these policies on the economic well-being of women, and suggests how occupational social workers and policymakers can broaden their focus to make the workplace safer for all workers. The health and safety of employees has become an important concern of occupational social workers (Googins & Godfrey, 1985). The focus, however, has been primarily residual. Occu-pational social workers have concentrated on individual rather than environmental problems, keeping the emphasis on a per-sonal, not an institutional level. As Gettman and Pena (1986) noted, occupational social workers need to broaden their con-cern to consider that the workplace itself contributes to the mental health problems of workers. Even more important, they need to examine workplace policies, particularly those that can jeopardize the economic well-being of female workers in the name of protecting women