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.

[Islay]

Because its against the law to descriminate!
However I realise of course that the ones that are pro this are also happy to keep other persons below them and in the gutter!

[naomi24]

Oooo ... exclamation marks in full flow!! ;o)

[jim360]

For the sake of clarity, at what stages would you (personally, professionally, or otherwise) be hesitant to employ a woman?

a) Pregnant (any stage);
b) married/stable relationship;
c) actively dating;
d) single but "on the market", as it were;
e) relationship status unknown but clearly in possession of a still-functional uterus.

[naomi24]

Put it this way, Jim, if I had an equally qualified, equally amiable, equally smart, equally competent male applicant, I'd choose him.

[jim360]

But don't you think that jobs should go to those most capable regardless of gender, or anything else?

[bhg481]

Perhaps you could insist that the woman was insured against being pregnant and take the premium from her salary. Oh, hang on, you'd be paying her less than a man for doing the same job.

[youngmafbog]

It's is an awkward one this.

Personally I don't think any maternity rights should exist below 36 continuous months. 26 weeks is ludicrous.

Oddly my wife is worse than me on this. She has seen, in the NHS, no end of women coming in either in the early stages of pregnancy or trying for a baby. These people then go off and leave the rest of the office to cope. As she works in a mainly women orientated office (including managers) this puts massive stress on her and the others left.

If the law was changed to 36months then it would stop the 'getting a job to get maternity', in addition it should be quite within the law to question whther or not pregnanat or trying both for men and for women. As stated in posts above employers are not charities neither are they social workers.

[pastafreak]

So that means my 30-something daughter with a PhD would not be employed in Naomi's world...?
So...should she just go off to Tescos and settle in as a cashier?
And then Naomi can employ a possibly less qualified male.

[youngmafbog]

//But don't you think that jobs should go to those most capable regardless of gender, or anything else? //

Someone pregnant is not doing the job though.

[jim360]

Except that we've moved beyond pregnancy at this point. Naomi was replying to all points on my list, including woman who merely *might* be pregnant later.

[maggiebee]

Remember being asked at an interview who would look after my child should he become ill. I replied that my husband would - still didn't get the job.

[naomi24]

Jim at 10.35, yes I do, which is why I’d choose the man. As in other areas of life, one attempts to opt for choices that are likely to create the least problems.

bhg481, I wouldn’t pay a woman less than a man for doing the same job.

Pastafreak, //And then Naomi can employ a possibly less qualified male.//

You said that, not me. See my post at 10:25.

[Garaman]

It's more about being honest isn't it? If you know you are going to need time off when you go for an interview you should say.

[Baldric]

More frantic VS from the usual suspect I see.

[hc4361]

Usual suspect? What on earth does that mean?

[pastafreak]

Yes, I did say that...bearing in mind that the next, best qualified on your list may be a male who is less qualified than my daughter.

[Garaman]

If you didn't declare that you were pregnant when you went for an interview, would you expect your bosses to trust you fully when you returned to work?

[Islay]

Given that men can now take a share of the womans maternity leave. So 12 months equally shared between both parents - how do you stand on that?
You employ a man but he then decides he wants 6 months off to look after his child?

[zebo]

I once worked with a man who was delighted that his wife had been given a permanent contract, they could now afford for her to get pregnant and she did, she spent the next four and a half years on maternity leave, having three children in quick succession!
In addition to maternity leave pregnant women expect to be able to take time out for appointments feeling unwell without it counting towards any sick time.
When returning to work after maternity leave they expected to come part-time and the time-table had to fit the days they were willing to honour us with their presence. When the time-table was being written for the following school year nothing could be done until they told the school the days they wanted. Hopefully this situation has changed with the tougher rules governing schools now.

[Garaman]

I am not sure if that is directed to me, Islay, but if it is then my answer is that I wouldn't trust anyone who didn't tell me when they knew they needed time off - the person's sex or reason for time off doesn't come into it.