‘It took them 50 years to realize women get pregnant’: Nike unveils maternity line after criticism for a lack of pregnancy apparel

Sportswear giant Nike has responded to criticism it faced over its maternity policy by releasing a new clothes line designed for pregnant women and nursing moms.

The newly-launched line which will be available in September includes a nursing bra and leggings designed to support “women’s relationship with sport during such a transformative time in their lives.”

READ MORE: ‘Kiss of death’: Nike admit pregnant athletes penalized by performance-based sponsorship reductions

The first ever maternity collection was hailed by the majority of customers, however, not everyone was impressed with Nike’s move, outlining that it took the company quite a long time to realize it needed changes.

“Nike didn’t have a maternity line?” one person asked.

“It took them 50 years to realize women get pregnant,” another person commented.

“Surprised that Nike did not have an official maternity leave policy in place for its athletes before recent criticism,” one more comment read.

Last year the company was in hot water after renowned American women runners including Alysia Montano and Allyson Felix revealed they had sponsorship reductions while pregnant and returning from maternity leave.

Montano also claimed that she was financially penalized by the sponsor due to a decrease in performance when she was competing while eight months pregnant.

Nike admitted that the company had reduced sponsorship pay for female athletes who didn’t meet “specific performance metrics,” including those who were pregnant.

The company eventually changed its maternity policy for sponsored athletes, guaranteeing pay and bonuses for 18 months around pregnancy, which is six months more than under the previous policy.