Due to the equality that is being highlighted in the workplace, both men and women continue to work extraordinarily long hours and it is not uncommon to see even pregnant women working till their last trimester. It is in such a background that maternity clothing stores assume more and more importance. In the earlier days, there was no need for anything like maternity clothing stores. In the earlier days there were no standalone maternity clothing stores. Most ordinary clothing stores carried a line of maternity related clothing and accessories. But with the niche market store concept of today, there are more and more standalone maternity clothing stores that carry little else than maternity clothing for women. For instance, some studies by psychologists reveal that when a store carries regular clothes in addition to maternity clothes a lot of women get disturbed by what the perceive as the bloated size. But this is not so with maternity clothing stores. Maternity clothing stores also serve another, more social purpose. See also: Baby Shower in the Workplace