Leigh Castergine was the first woman to become a senior vice president in the front office of the Mets, a once-beloved but now-losing Major League Baseball team in New York. She was in charge of ticket sales and was rewarded over the years for innovations and successes to the tune of multiple $50,000 raises and a $125,000 bonus. But she met her glass ceiling when she, an unmarried woman, announced her pregnancy in 2013.

According to the complaint she just filed in federal court, the Mets's chief operating officer, Jeffrey Wilpon, looked none too favorably upon her pregnancy. She alleges that he humiliated and embarrassed her, making no secret of his disdain for her decision to have a baby without being married. And when she complained to human resources about his behavior, she was fired.

This chapter considers the nature of the discrimination alleged in this case and explains why it is part and parcel of a matrix of biases and stereotypes that pregnant women still face in the workplace.

THE ALLEGATIONS IN CASTERGINE'S COMPLAINT

An Ivy League graduate and former Division 1 student athlete, Castergine had worked her way up from low-wage ticket sales jobs with other clubs to a high-ranking position in the Mets's front office. She specialized in data analytics and pricing strategy, key skills for a team with high costs and a waning fan base. The job was a challenge, given the team's poor performance over many years and what she describes as “a series of public relations blunders that too frequently led to the franchise being ridiculed in the sports pages.” Often told her job was like selling “tickets to a funeral” or “deck chairs on the Titanic,” Castergine persevered and was recognized repeatedly and lucratively for excellent work.

When Castergine announced that she was pregnant in September 2013, the whole tenor of her work life changed. Before revealing her pregnancy, Castergine sat in on a meeting where her superiors discussed another woman who had recently given birth. They complained that she “hasn't been the same since she had children” and discussed moving her to a different department.