Women who take maternity leave have special protections: the right to maternity pay and to return their job. Where redundancies are being contemplated an employer has special duties to notify absent women of available positions. Maternity absence is a ‘protected characteristic’ so treating a woman less favourably by demotion or dismissal, for example, could be direct discrimination. Detrimental treatment of a woman for asserting rights related to her maternity could also be victimisation.