Pregnant women who feel discriminated against at work often fail to pursue their claims for fear of "consequences" from their employers, according to the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality.
The commission said it frequently received requests from women claiming to have been dismissed from work because they were pregnant but not all followed up their cases in court or at the industrial tribunal due to this fear factor.
While it encouraged these expectant mothers to fight for their rights, the commission said such cases were more common than the number of requests for assistance and complaints suggested.
"However, it seems women are still worried that they will be adversely affected - either by present or future employers - if they seek to enforce their rights. This seems to be a major reason why those who seek assistance do not take this (their case) further," the commission said.
One mother-to-be recently went public and took action against the company she had worked for as a senior executive for nine years.
Last week The Sunday Times reported that Anika Psaila Savona, who was employed as legal counsel with CHI Hotels and Resorts, formerly Corinthia Hotels International, took her former employer to court claiming she was dismissed six months into her pregnancy.
Representatives from employee unions, Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin and the General Workers' Union, said that while such complaints were "not common", they were a reality.
"The problem is that women who feel discriminated against do not speak up," UĦM general secretary Gejtu Vella said.
His counterpart at the GWU, Tony Zarb, said he was particularly concerned about some employers' attitudes of not employing women for fear they got pregnant.
"It is not fair that women are penalised because they are the ones who bear the children," he stressed.
The commission pointed out that employers and other employees should be sensitised to the issue.
This practice can only be stopped once employers understand that a woman of childbearing age is capable of providing that employer with the same work and benefits as any other individual with the same competencies, it said.
"Employers must recognise that the benefits of retaining a woman in employment outweigh what they may term as the cost or burden of any related leave arrangements.
"On another level, victims of such discrimination need to understand they are not in the wrong and are to be encouraged to seek the recognition of their rights. This, however, can only become possible with the support of their family members and of their colleagues," the commission said.
Grace Attard, from the National Council of Women, said there was a need for culture change by "putting in practice social responsibility on the part of the employer rather than penalising women for being mothers".
She said the revised EU health and safety maternity directive sought to strengthen the position of pregnant women in all forms of work.
The European Parliament, which at committee stage has already approved an increase of six fully-paid maternity leave weeks over and above the current 14-week minimum threshold, has postponed the final vote that was meant to be taken this month.
Pregnant women who feel discriminated against can either open a case in the civil court or take the matter to the Industrial Tribunal. Victims may also ask the commission to investigate the issue.