bias vs childcare/maternity in job interviews

[Ellie78]

I'm just musing on this really...and I'll possibly get moved to chat...but I just wondered whether anyone had encountered blatant discrimination or just possible bias against them because of being a parent, during interviews for jobs.

I'm pretty sure the fact of my 8 month old son counted against me during a recent job interview - they asked how I'd managed the childcare, which I didn't realise was a slightly dodgy question until after the interview and I thought about it. I wasn't desperate for the job, and it was really only a toe back in the pool of interviews, but I just wondered how people dealt with things like this and what I can expect ahead of me.

[Lochie]

I just went back to work last month and the first thing the CEO said to me after saying hello was 'I just want to check, this is your last child isn't it, you're not going to go for number three and take more time off are you?' He said it seriously and I felt really awkward. I laughed it off but secretly wanted to punch him in the face!!

I think discrimination against working parents, especially those who want to work part time, is rife. Unfortunately most p/t workers know they typically are doing a full time job but on part time money.

I am hoping for a promotion this year. If asked in interview about juggling more job responsibility with kids I plan to say that motherhood has made me more ambitious than ever and I will sort childcare the same way that many other working parents do. I would hope they wouldn't ask beyond that.

I would actually wait for a job offer before broaching the topic of your required working hours in the day eg early start and finish. It would be hard to retract an offer just because a request for flexible working is made (as long

as you both understand the number of hours/days per week the job requires by interview stage).

There are some really family friendly employers out there. Perhaps target them when looking for a job. The public sector is very good at offering flexible working, or so I have heard.

Good luck!

[Convex]

It's so crap isn't it!

I remember an interview ith Alan sugar where he said he wasn't bothered if a candidate was a parent - his advice was to just say 'I have really good childcare in place, it's totally sorted' as what they are really asking is if it will be a problem for them!

[dul_resident]

Both of your scenarios sound discriminatory:

https://www.gov.uk/employer-preventing-discrimination/recruitment