Sociologists say you can measure the health of an economy by the birth rate of a nation. After the Second World War, when things looked great for America, we had the baby boom. Now we are having less babies. In 2009, the birth rate in the United States dropped to 13.5 births for every 1,000 people. The reason? It seems clear that when we are unsure about the economy, our jobs or simply have less money in our savings back so we are more likely to wait for better times before having children. But what happens if you do get pregnant? Many of our readers have expressed their concern about the consequences of getting pregnant while unemployed. Questions range from, is it considered fraud to claim unemployment while pregnant? To, What happens if I quit my job because I have a baby? Am I still eligible for unemployment?

Before we answer those questions let’s start with a simple explanation of when you can apply for unemployment benefits in Washington. Surprisingly we can do that in one sentence.

You are eligible to your quota of unemployment benefits If you are unemployed out of no fault of your own and both can and want to work .

That sounds simple enough, but as they say, the devil is always in the details. The first key point is, no fault of your own. If you quit a job out of your own free will, you are generally not entitled to employment benefits. This is an important point when considering what to do if you get pregnant while working with a company. Do not quit, unless you have the savings to maintain yourself or are very confident you can easily find another job.

The second important point of our general description of unemployment eligibility is if you can work. This answers a recent question from one of our readers. The reader asked if it would be considered fraudulent to continue claiming benefits after getting pregnant and to continue doing so until she gave birth. The answer hangs on if she can work during the pregnancy. As long as you are available for work you can continue claiming your weekly benefits. The week you deliver your baby and any other week your doctor determines you are not fit for work you are not eligible for unemployment. Simply do not claim for benefits those weeks and you will not be committing fraud.

The final point that determines your eligibility for unemployment benefits during a pregnancy is if you want to work. Many people do not know that the unemployment rate we so often hear reported in newspapers and on the news does not reflect everyone without a job, only those who are unemployed and are actively looking for a job. While you receive unemployment benefits you have the responsibility of looking for work and accepting any reasonable source of employment you are offered. If you are not even considering working during your pregnancy, you would, strictly speaking, not qualify for benefits. Obviously, this is very difficult to enforce. Nobody can read your mind, and as long as you claim for benefits, go to any interviews set up by the employment office and have good reasons for not accepting a job you will receive your weekly check until your yearly quota of benefits expires.