Should Women Disclose If They Are Pregnant During Job Interviews?

[Deskdiary]

Personally I think yes.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/19/uk-bosses-believe-women-should-say-at-interview-if-they-are-pregnant-report

How frustrating would it be to have a job offer accepted and then upon starting the job and the training involved to be told a years worth of maternity leave will soon be taken.

[Jackdaw33]

Until WWII a woman was obliged to resign from teaching, the Civil Service and other organisations upon marriage precisely because of that reason. This is why historically female teachers are always addressed as 'Miss'.

[mikey4444]

Jack......I am not sure that we really want to go back to those days do we ?

[douglas9401]

Jackdaw, I think you've been given duff information. Women were known as miss due to their inability to hit the target with the blackboard duster.

[Deskdiary]

I would never advocate Sqad's view, but, maternity leave is a complete pain in the backside.

In my office we currently have two people on mat leave and two who have recently come back from mat leave on a part time basis.

In my industry it is not worth getting temps in, because by the time they've been trained the people on mat leave will be returning.

What this means is that we have to re-allocate their work to their colleagues, and as they are already working in a full time roles with full time work, this adds additional stresses.

Fortunately in my office there's enough people where we can just about cope, but I'd hate to be a small business owner as maternity leave must be an utter pain in the neck for them.

[naomi24]

Deskdiary, given your opinion, were you the employer would you happily employ women who may well create the difficulties you outline?

[anthro-nerd]

You have to have worked in a job for a certain amount of time (6 months / a year) depending on your contract, to be entitled to maternity leave. I assume this prevents the problem in question?

[Garaman]

No really as you would still lose the person you have trained whether they are entitled to paid leave or not.

[Ric.ror]

We once employed someone who told us on her first day she was pregnant. She left early and rang later that day to say she wouldn’t be back!!!!

[mikey4444]

Naomi...you said this earlier ....."I’m with sqad. I wouldn’t employ a young woman in any occupation that incurred my time and expense in training her, or that would render her difficult to replace in any prolonged absence"

Can I take it then, that you would have been quite happy to be refused a job in the past, just on the off-chance that you might have got pregnant after being employed ?

[naomi24]

Had I been in that situation I would have understood the reasoning, Mikey.

[Islay]

Actually men can now take a share of the women’s maternity leave. So instead of the woman having a year the man can take 6 months

[emmie]

yes i think they should, but unlikely to get that job.

[anthro-nerd]

I think this question is a bit silly if I'm honest. So what are women supposed to do? Rely on their husbands for money? Assuming their married of course!

I'm a 27 year old woman, does that mean I'm unlikely to get a job because I might have children in a few years? Should my decision to have a family impact my want to work to provide for my family?

Should I just stay at home and claim benefits instead then?

Business owners should realise that it isn't up to them whether or not a woman wants to have a family, it's her decision, and it's a fact of life.

The idea that people frown on maternity leave is really disturbing to me.

[Deskdiary]

Naomi - if I was a small business owner, probably not. In a larger business the issue may not be quite so problematical.

[mikey4444]

anthro-nerd....well said. Some of the posts on here this morning are disturbing, to say the least.

[naomi24]

anthro-nerd, //Business owners should realise that it isn't up to them whether or not a woman wants to have a family, it's her decision//

Business owners do realise it’s her decision – which is why some are reluctant to employ people who might waste their time, money, and energy by making that decision. Workers need to realise that employers aren’t charities and neither are they social workers concerned with the personal lives of their employees. They have businesses to run.

[naomi24]

Deskdiarym thanks for your reply.

Mikey, what disturbs you?

[anthro-nerd]

Naomi, so what does a woman in that position need to do then?

Not work and claim benefits? Or contribute, work hard and earn a living for her future family?

[Deskdiary]

The question relates to women who are already pregnant at the interview stage, not who become pregnant while already doing the job.

Maternity leave is sometimes inconvenient to a business (probably very inconvenient for a small business owner), but nobody is suggesting it shouldn't be allowed.

[Islay]

Stay at home chained to the kitchen sink and not expect a life Anthro!!
Jeez I think some people would prefer had we not got the vote!