Mom fights for law against 'maternal profiling'

When Kiki Peppard applied for a secretarial job, her prospective employer asked if she was married and had children.

[Denise]

Single mothers aren't the only ones with this problem. When my future husband relocated back to the Lehigh Valley, he wanted to be honest with prospective employers about the surgery he had to remove a tumor which gave him occasional discomfort. He feared the ramifications of not informing them if he was hired. He had a strong resume, good references with a lot of experience. He was told over and over that he could not be hired because he was a "health insurance risk". He was finally offered a job at a small business that does not offer health insurance to their employees. He's been employed for the same company for almost two years now, and has not had sick day to date. Honesty does not pay the bills or help you off the unemployment line.

[LV in Demise]

I can relate to Ms. Peppard. Many years ago I worked for a, then prominent, employer here in the LV. When I was passed up for a much deserved promotion to management, I questioned why and was told that company policy does not allow promotion of women with children under the age of 10. I had already been with this particular company quite a number of years and could not believe that this kind of discrimination existed. Unfortunately, it is still prevalent. When I was laid off in 2001, I ran into this same problem while seeking re-employment. My only saving grace at the time was that my children were older. This blatant act of discrimination does need to be addressed.

[hatesallentown]

Booo Hooooo ! Get over it ! Thats whats wrong with thic country - Too much belly aching !!

[Just me]

hatesallentown wrote:

Booo Hooooo ! Get over it ! Thats whats wrong with thic country - Too much belly aching !!

Yes sir...it's uncaring, insensitive jerks like you that are dragging this country down. The government and big business have us by the short hairs and then we get comments like Booo Hooo, Get over it. Get a life you boot licking yes man.

[no work for me]

i had never put two and two together....that explains why i am unable to find work.......as of recently i applied for a job as a receptionist at h and r block and was not given the job because i have kids and a special needs child.....the person giving that interview told me directly that she would not be hiring me because of the children......it just never dawned on me that this kind of stuff was a issue and real.....really makes sense now........maybe they should start ask men if they are fathers and they will find that a number of them are and single doing by themselves.....this is not fair.....

[hatesallentown]

You made the choice to have children now you pay the price so I say again Booo Hooo for you ! Stats dont lie ! When you have to leave the office because school is letting out early all the other employees who dont have kids are left to pick up the slack. When you dont come to work because that little snot nosed brat of yous is sick , the other employees are left to pick up the slack. Now to all of you mothers Quit your bitching , It was your choice !!!!

[ColonelCecilFidd lesticks]

Thanks for the info and I feel for her situation.
However, I don't think it isn't wrong for some employers to ask questions about applicant marital or family status, depending on their needs and their job's requirements. Some employers are flexible about leave time because their job's requirements can allow them to be flexible about their employee's leave time. Other jobs are inflexible about leave time.
A one size fits all approach to this, by banning such questions, isn't the answer either - as employer's aren't dumb: they'll just avoid hiring females who fit a particular profile.
Please advocate for a saner approach. There is a job out there that would fit Ms. Peppard's needs - just not the jobs she applied for.
And keep in mind that discrimination can work both ways. Ms. Peppard is free to tell all that she was very indiscretely asked questions about her marital and family status and then just as indiscretely told that her marital and family status were the reasons she wasn't hired. In my view, the employer was pretty stupid to be so frank.

[DOUBLETAP]

Once again, we can blame lawyers for their baseless malpractice suits that drive health insurance costs up. Destroy all the lawyers.

[on the other end too]

It really is a pain when other workers have to pick up the slack when someone calls off all the time. Though it is unfair to not hire based on that since calling off all the time is not a given just because of having kids. Someone may have excellent backup care/emergency care in place. But if this scenario were 'fixed' it would only solve part of the problem...the other part being termination...PA is one of the states that has an "at will" termination rule...you can be fired just because...no need to have a real legitimate reason....

[Claire]

Cry me a river. First off, any prospective employer to really say those things (i.e., parents cost too much to insure) are stupid. Secondly, yes, I see all the time how parents in the workplace expect special perks and time off, sick days, cutting out early - for kid reasons, and everyone else is expected to pick up the slack. Sorry, in my opinion, parents with young kids are very high maintenance employees.

[Marie56]

I completely sympathize. I am a working mother, and i don't know what i would do if i didn't have an understanding boss about the situations that occur. It's bad enough that women are still discriminated in the work place but, now they are gonna add it being impossible to get hired on top of it. i'm sorry, the world would fall apart if you didn't let the "working mothers" work.

[ooops]

You made the choice to have children now you pay the price so I say again Booo Hooo for you ! Stats dont lie ! When you have to leave the office because school is letting out early all the other employees who dont have kids are left to pick up the slack. When you dont come to work because that little snot nosed brat of yous is sick , the other employees are left to pick up the slack. Now to all of you mothers Quit your bitching , It was your choice !!!!

Wow dude get some compasion - I am a single father and I have a good job I make six figures and am in charge of al ot of things and deal with these issues everyday... Children are a blessing. I would rahter have a parent who needs to bust their butt to make a living than anyone. You my friend have some major issues

[Bookworm]

Claire wrote:

Cry me a river. First off, any prospective employer to really say those things (i.e., parents cost too much to insure) are stupid. Secondly, yes, I see all the time how parents in the workplace expect special perks and time off, sick days, cutting out early - for kid reasons, and everyone else is expected to pick up the slack. Sorry, in my opinion, parents with young kids are very high maintenance employees.

All of the issues you mention are the reasons that we have vacation time, sick leave, and personal time in the first place. If you don't have children--awesome! Use your time for elder care, vacations (real vacations), or whatever makes you happy. While not everyone has children, most people have elderly relatives who need help with the activities of daily living, or with getting to the store or whatever.

[Bethlehemer]

hatesallentown wrote:

Booo Hooooo ! Get over it ! Thats whats wrong with thic country - Too much belly aching !!

YOU are obviously not a female with children! I love being passed up to men or even other women with less qualifications, just because I have children!

[Mercurior]

so 54% of people who work ARENT mothers then. If you are not able to do a job, for whatever reason other commitments, then dont do that job.

Its a sense of entitlement, i am a mother, i can work get paid the same for doing less work.

There are exceptions, but i dont count those. I live in the UK, I work in a predominantly female field, I am forever covering for maternity, for sick kids, they all came to me because they knew i would work, i didnt have a wife (i do now), and i was there to cover all the time. in 2 years work, 2 of my bosses, went off on maternity leave, one after the other, so in a busy office, there was only one person there. Some mothers CANT do the job, so why go for it. if you cant give all your time to the job, then what use are you to them.

[Bethlehemer]

WOOHOO wrote:

If you kept your behinds in the house like a good woman you wouldnt have to worry. Stop b@tching so much and maybe you wouldnt be single. Try careing more about your kids and husband and being a homemaker than your go-nowhere middle-managment career and maybe the divorce rate wouldnt be so high.

This is completely off! With inflation rates as they are more women need to work, regardless of their marital status. I am happily married with three children and finding it impossible to obtain employment because of that fact. You seem like the type of looser that would contribute to the employment issues of mothers.

Gee, with what you have to say about women I can only imagine that you are a single putts because of your behavior. I would never tolerate being spoken to in the manner you utilize. Go get some manners!

[Bethlehemer]

hatesallentown wrote:

You made the choice to have children now you pay the price so I say again Booo Hooo for you ! Stats dont lie ! When you have to leave the office because school is letting out early all the other employees who dont have kids are left to pick up the slack. When you dont come to work because that little snot nosed brat of yous is sick , the other employees are left to pick up the slack. Now to all of you mothers Quit your bitching , It was your choice !!!!

Oh, that's right...and how about the fathers??? They decided to have children too, but they don't seem as affected! So why don't you stop YOUR bitching! You're probably one of those dead beat Dad's that don't know the first thing about your children!

[Mercurior]

so 54% of people who work ARENT mothers then. If you are not able to do a job, for whatever reason other commitments, then dont do that job.

Its a sense of entitlement, i am a mother, i can work get paid the same for doing less work.

There are exceptions, but i dont count those. I live in the UK, I work in a predominantly female field, I am forever covering for maternity, for sick kids, they all came to me because they knew i would work, i didnt have a wife (i do now), and i was there to cover all the time. in 2 years work, 2 of my bosses, went off on maternity leave, one after the other, so in a busy office, there was only one person there. Some mothers CANT do the job, so why go for it. if you cant give all your time to the job, then what use are you to them

[Bethlehemer]

Mercurior wrote:

so 54% of people who work ARENT mothers then. If you are not able to do a job, for whatever reason other commitments, then dont do that job.
Its a sense of entitlement, i am a mother, i can work get paid the same for doing less work.
There are exceptions, but i dont count those. I live in the UK, I work in a predominantly female field, I am forever covering for maternity, for sick kids, they all came to me because they knew i would work, i didnt have a wife (i do now), and i was there to cover all the time. in 2 years work, 2 of my bosses, went off on maternity leave, one after the other, so in a busy office, there was only one person there. Some mothers CANT do the job, so why go for it. if you cant give all your time to the job, then what use are you to them.

So you said you are a mother...and now you have a wife....am I missing something?

[Marie56]

WOOHOO wrote:

If you kept your behinds in the house like a good woman you wouldnt have to worry. Stop b@tching so much and maybe you wouldnt be single. Try careing more about your kids and husband and being a homemaker than your go-nowhere middle-managment career and maybe the divorce rate wouldnt be so high.

ummm, last time i checked, this is 2008. and if you are married, i feel sorry for your wife!!!