Workplaces asking women about babymplans

[mummabear]

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/elect...acceptable-to-ask-women-about-baby-plans.html

So in general I think no they shouldn't be able to ask.
I do feel that if you are running for Prime Minister (or President) then it's ok. People should know if you expect to fulfill the term your are running for

 

[Pea-n-Me]

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/elect...acceptable-to-ask-women-about-baby-plans.html

So in general I think no they shouldn't be able to ask.
I do feel that if you are running for Prime Minister (or President) then it's ok. People should know if you expect to fulfill the term your are running for

I don't think it's appropriate for those positions, either.

Plus if I'm reading correctly, she already is in the position she was running for, correct?

 

[mummabear]

I don't think it's appropriate for those positions, either.

Plus if I'm reading correctly, she already is in the position she was running for, correct?

No our elections are in September, yesterday she overthrew the leader of her party, the currect oppostion party.

In the US it is usual for Presidentail Canidates to make a health check public is it not? The purpose of this would be to prove they are healthy enough to fulfill their term. Would you be happy if you elected a President/Prime Minister and they took off 1 year for maternity leave?

 

[gotomu212]

It's not often when the US is more progressive on workers rights/family planning rights, but here you aren't allowed to ask a woman about her plans to get pregnant in a job interview (technically you could ask but you aren't allowed to discriminate or make a hiring decision based on that information so there's no reason to ask and it could be used to make a case against you so we put it on our DO NOT ASK UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE list).

 

[gotomu212]

No our elections are in September, yesterday she overthrew the leader of her party, the currect oppostion party.

In the US it is usual for Presidentail Canidates to make a health check public is it not? The purpose of this would be to prove they are healthy enough to fulfill their term. Would you be happy if you elected a President/Prime Minister and they took off 1 year for maternity leave?

Well first there's no way someone would get 1 year for maternity leave in the US. Second we haven't elected a woman yet to this office, and finally we haven't elected anyone young enough to be having children (I guess technically we've had 2 under 45 so maybe but that's a stretch) so it's hard to compare it to our presidentancy.

We have had governors and congressional representatives that have given birth in office without any issues so I wouldn't have a concern. I certainly wouldn't hold it against a man if his partner had a baby in office so for me it shouldn't make a difference if a woman did.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

No our elections are in September, yesterday she overthrew the leader of her party, the currect oppostion party.

In the US it is usual for Presidentail Canidates to make a health check public is it not? The purpose of this would be to prove they are healthy enough to fulfill their term. Would you be happy if you elected a President/Prime Minister and they took off 1 year for maternity leave?

Who is say that's what she'd do? I'd think she'd understand the importance of her position and perhaps work something else out besides taking a year off. But it's a moot point here because as a pp pointed out, there are anti-discriminatory laws about it in the U.S. Of course, it's something voters can take into consideration when choosing a candidate, but, for me, there would be far more important matters to consider than that, given that many women in high-ranking positions are mothers.

 

[mummabear]

Who is say that's what she'd do?

And thats the problem, her answer is thst it isnt anyones business.

 

[mummabear]

Well first there's no way someone would get 1 year for maternity leave in the US

It is fairly standard here, only a portion of it is paid but your job must be held for a year with no impact on promotions etc

 

[Felicis]

Bet she spends less time on maternity leave than the previous PM spent on golf and in Hawaii.

 

[Felicis]

It's not often when the US is more progressive on workers rights/family planning rights, but here you aren't allowed to ask a woman about her plans to get pregnant in a job interview (technically you could ask but you aren't allowed to discriminate or make a hiring decision based on that information so there's no reason to ask and it could be used to make a case against you so we put it on our DO NOT ASK UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE list).

Yeah, you actually aren't supposed to here either - but I guess the press is different to an employer. Or are they? Interesting question actually, as the press are sort of the employers, as they are voters...

 

[Poohforyou]

And thats the problem, her answer is thst it isnt anyones business.

And it isn't anyone's business. Take a second to think about how personal that question is.

Would you ask a male candidate if he planned to father any children while in office? That could certainly affect his job performance - sleepless nights, worrying about a sick baby, worrying about his wife's postpartum health, etc.

 

[Aliceacc]

Well, for starters, "Plan" is a funny word when it comes to having, or not having, kids. Plans very often have nothing to do with what actually happens.

Secondly, do they ask men about their medical history-- whether or not they have a family history of, say, heart issues? Because a man with a heart attack is going to need a whole lot more time off than a woman having a baby.

Do they ask about elderly parents? That can effect job performance, regardless of gender, at least as much as a healthy newborn.

OH, and can we assume that a job requirement for men is to be horrible fathers? Fathers who will put the job ahead of their families every time, without question? To be honest I wouldn't vote for any candidate who would promise to put his job ahead of his family regardless of the circumstances.

Finally, I can't see anyone planning to run for public office who would plan to take an extended maternity leave under normal circumstances. They understand the rigors of the job and would plan to make minimal changes to their job responsibilities.

 

[Hikergirl]

I think the fact that she is in public office changes it. If it is standard for women there to take 1 year maternity leave then I see nothing wrong with the question. She isn't being hired, she is being elected to a public position, so the public should have the right to know if she plans on taking a year off while serving them.
The way I see it, its not about motherhood or being able to function at your job while taking care of your family, its about taking an entire year off from your job duties. I think people should know whether she plans to do that or not, not so much if she plans to get pregnant.

 

[sunshinehighway]

And thats the problem, her answer is thst it isnt anyones business.

Maybe the real problem is that the question is being asked in the first place.

 

[CarolAnn856]

And it isn't anyone's business. Take a second to think about how personal that question is.

Would you ask a male candidate if he planned to father any children while in office? That could certainly affect his job performance - sleepless nights, worrying about a sick baby, worrying about his wife's postpartum health, etc.

I don't think asking if a candidate is planning on having children is appropriate. However, I do think that, for public office, asking any candidate, male or female, if they plan to take time off from their position is a fair question.

 

[sam_gordon]

I think the fact that she is in public office changes it. If it is standard for women there to take 1 year maternity leave then I see nothing wrong with the question. She isn't being hired, she is being elected to a public position, so the public should have the right to know if she plans on taking a year off while serving them.
The way I see it, its not about motherhood or being able to function at your job while taking care of your family, its about taking an entire year off from your job duties. I think people should know whether she plans to do that or not, not so much if she plans to get pregnant.

IMO, if the public has a right to know if a candidate plans to have a baby then an employer has a right to know if an employee plans to have a baby. At issue isn't "sleepless nights or worrying about the baby", it's the taking extended time off. Yes, some businesses can get by with a temp, but others can't.

Let's say you're hiring a nanny to take care of your child. Unknown by you, during the interview process they're 4 months pregnant. You hire them and later find out they're pregnant and they won't be able to do the work for two months. So now you need some kind of child care for those two months. What are you going to do?

 

[Aliceacc]

Why is fatherhood not treated the same way?

 

[sam_gordon]

Why is fatherhood not treated the same way?

Because fatherhood doesn't result in 6-12 weeks off from work.

 

[mom2rtk]

Why is fatherhood not treated the same way?

Because men don't have to recover medically from childbirth?

 

[Aliceacc]

And women don't need a year to do so.

I took more time as a breast cancer patient than I did with either of my pregnancies.

Is cancer screening also part of the questioning?