Maternal Profiling

[alaskaguy]

Where does discrimination end? I understand the hesitation to hire a woman who might get pregnant, but how far do we go with this line of thought? On the other hand some women may work to reap the benefits of maternity leave and have no plans on returning to the job.

Link:
Maternal Profiling - On Balance

[LindenCy]

I think this is an interesting issue. I think that it is great to be family friendly, but part of it is a choice of priorities. If you want to have children, then you may not be able to have a job that requires you to work 12 hours a day, and the person who does work 12 hours will have the edge, male or female. Not to say discrimination doesn't happen, but employers are sometimes hampered by many different laws as it is. I can't blame them for getting the most out of an employee. Again, though, I want to differentiate this from discrimination, which is unfair.

[cycloneryan]

I think being able to hire an employee that can be reliable and will be there when you need it is important. I imagine that the cases that were in that article are not an everyday occurance. It seems like if this were as big of a problem it would be more in the forefront of news and politics today. I think any company that might do this is insane because the possible money they could lose in a lawsuit would outweigh what they may have to pay for maternity leave. Many companies now are giving maternity leave to father's with new borns. I just don't think this is as common as what that article suggests. Of course it could be that I am just a sexist male who doesn't notice the plight of the woman in America. Who knows?

[Broodwich]

Cake Profiling: Discrimination against people who want to have their cake, but they eat it too.

[Phaedrus]

Cake Profiling: Discrimination against people who want to have their cake, but they eat it too.

Niiiiice!

[brianhos]

That makes no sense. People with kids are much less likely to bounce from job to job, so new parents are especially sought after in our line of business.

[jDub]

That makes no sense. People with kids are much less likely to bounce from job to job, so new parents are especially sought after in our line of business.

That's interesting, we have pretty good luck hiring and retaining parents who recently had a child, however our luck isn't as good when hiring and retaining women who are currently pregnant or become pregnant shortly after being hired. I don't have exact figures, but we lose a lot of women who have been with the company less than 1 year and had a child after starting with our company. Keep in mind that these are entry level positions for the most part.

[ISUAlum2002]

That makes no sense. People with kids are much less likely to bounce from job to job, so new parents are especially sought after in our line of business.

But they are much more likely to miss time from work unexpectedly than their single, non-procreational minded counterparts.........at least in my experience.

[erikbj]

I think it depends completely on the company. My company is small (14 employees) and we have had 3 women give birth in the past 2 years and it cripples us. We are company that does not over staff by any means and it puts a lot of strain on the others when someone is out of the office for 8 weeks or more (one went on bed rest). Now working for a larger company you are able to pulll assets from other areas of the company so you don't miss a beat. It has to be something for small business owners to consider when they are hiring a woman under 35.

[LindenCy]

That makes no sense. People with kids are much less likely to bounce from job to job, so new parents are especially sought after in our line of business.

That is an interesting point on the other side. So it may depend on what kind of company it is and etc. Imagine that, one argument does not fit all, as some people want to assume.

[RTBIO]

I've worked in several different work environments, but one thing has always been the same: Smokers and alcoholics are far less productive, and make much poorer co-workers, than new mothers or mothers-to-be.

[alaskaguy]

I believe that employers should have the right to weed out candidates who cannot meet the demands of a certain position – some jobs require late nights, weekends, and travel. But there’s a difference between asking, “are you willing to work weekends?” and “are you planning on having children?” That’s like asking if someone if they have something in their medical history that might prevent them from working.

[balken]

I hate to be the one to potentially turn this thread ugly, but I have always been uncomfortable when new mothers return to work immediately after having a baby. I have seen a new mother return to work 3-4 weeks after a child is born and put the kid in day care for 10+ hours a day. Sometimes it make me wonder why the couple decided to have a child in the first place. I understand that everyone has a different situation, but in my experience employers bend over backward to retain quality employees that have new children, and I am not sure if that is really the right thing to do either.

[superdorf]

I hate to be the one to potentially turn this thread ugly, but I have always been uncomfortable when new mothers return to work immediately after having a baby. I have seen a new mother return to work 3-4 weeks after a child is born and put the kid in day care for 10+ hours a day. Sometimes it make me wonder why the couple decided to have a child in the first place. I understand that everyone has a different situation, but in my experience employers bend over backward to retain quality employees that have new children, and I am not sure if that is really the right thing to do either.

You are forgetting the people who can't afford not to be working.

[4VR4CY]

This whole topic is disgusting.