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.

[hc4361]

naomi, if you wouldn't give the young woman with a degree a job (and it seems many people feel the same) why should she bother?
Perhaps she should attach a certificate of sterility to her CV?

[ladybirder]

I wonder, in the real world, how many people struggling to keep a small business afloat, despite what they say on here, would actually take on a female employee of childbearing age if they thought it could capsize their business? I should emphasise I'm talking small businesses here. It's easy to say it when you don't have to bear the consequences of watching and worrying that your business could collapse, making redundant your hardworking employees.

I don't see why it has to be a job or on benefits. Don't husbands/OHs/Partners work and keep their families any more?

[Spicerack]

You can tell all the people who shirk in, usually public sector, non-jobs.
They're such snobs too, looking down their noses at the untermensch.

[naomi24]

hc4361 , //if you wouldn't give the young woman with a degree a job//

I didn’t say I wouldn’t give a young woman with a degree a job. That’s the third time on this thread words have been put into my mouth. Ladybirder mentions the real world which, going by some of the imaginary stuff that’s being posted on this thread, seems a very long way from here!

[hereIam]

Totally agree with naomi throughout this thread.

[naomi24]

Thank you, hereIam.

[youngmafbog]

I agree with you too Naomi, although I really do think increasing the waiting time before you can get the maternity 'benefits' from 26 weeks to 36 months would go a long way to alleviating the problem, particularly those that get a job and then 'leave' pretty much straight away.

[emmie]

why don't more big businesses have crèche facilities, then the woman or man can go back to their job and have a working life alongside their home one.

[david small]

naomi24 for PM...

[fiction-factory]

emmie- that might help mums return to work but it won't stop the long period of maternity leave. It's been a real issue in some schools in subjects where teachers are predominantly female and maternity absence is a seemingly ongoing issue, and even the replacements often seem to be pregnant shortly after joining.

[Barmaid]

I think this is one of life's conundrums - the answer to which is never going to be completely fair to everyone.

I absolutely agree that discrimination for whatever reason is wrong.

However, I do see that losing a key member of staff for a lengthy period can be crippling for a small business. One has to question how much of a "key" person a brand new employee might be though - at best when she goes on maternity leave she will have 6 or 7 months' company experience. Nonetheless it could have a significant impact on small businesses. Larger businesses have the infrastructure that can more easily absorb and adapt to such issues. Furthermore, they are generally much better at succession planning.

I do agree that a prospective employee is at least morally obliged to tell a prospective employee of a confirmed pregnancy - if only in terms of trust and confidence and allowing the employer to plan. But more than that, I think the going's on in a woman's uterus are her own business and no one else's.

[pixie374]

I've had 4 children without any maternity leave or pay. We did take someone on at the home who was apparently pregnant, but left her coat on through the interview (i didn't interview her)
But after the baby, she is still there 13 years later and very good at her job. The biggest problem was always sickness.
It would mean needing a new maternity benefit for those that can't get employment- so maybe better for the government to pay maternity costs than employers .

[tamborine]

I agree with Naomi. Some dont respect employers businesses & only consider their own gain. For that, we use agency staff!

[fender62]

or just hire older postmenopause women, probably be grateful and better at their jobs...just a thought.