![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Maternal Profiling
Feb. 24th, 2008 12:20 amHere's a disturbing article about maternal profiling, or refusing to hire women because they are (or might become) mothers. On the one hoof, it is wrong to discriminate against people because of their family situation; this is just another example of oppressing women by making it hard for them to get a job. On the other hoof, I can sympathize with very small businesses that may only have a few employees, and who need someone who can afford to make that job their top priority. Mothers are reliable, but they tend to put family first, which is as it should be. A large business can cover for an absent employee; a small one might not be able to.
It's an interesting and disturbing dilemma. The best solutions are all macro, and would require society at large to say, "This is bad; we must fix it." Frex, it could be solved by changing wages so that only one parent needed to work, allowing the other to stay home and raise the kids. That would only help married parents, though. So another approach would be to revive the extended family, so that even single parents would have someone to help with childcare. A big business can (and a few do) provide services such as company daycare or even day-nannies to watch sick kids at home. More universal options could be made available to cover people working at small businesses. But I doubt people will do any of these things, because it's easier and cheaper simply to let women shoulder the (sometimes crushing) burden. That's frustrating -- and it is not good for family life or the economy.
*ponder* Though businesses might consider catering to mothers with a deal like "You can always take time off to take care of your kids, if you make up for it by doing X, Y, and Z." An exchange of favors is fair, and employees can become intensely loyal to a company that offers valuable perks that other companies don't. Look how some companies have become hotbeds of queer tolerance and creativity.
It's an interesting and disturbing dilemma. The best solutions are all macro, and would require society at large to say, "This is bad; we must fix it." Frex, it could be solved by changing wages so that only one parent needed to work, allowing the other to stay home and raise the kids. That would only help married parents, though. So another approach would be to revive the extended family, so that even single parents would have someone to help with childcare. A big business can (and a few do) provide services such as company daycare or even day-nannies to watch sick kids at home. More universal options could be made available to cover people working at small businesses. But I doubt people will do any of these things, because it's easier and cheaper simply to let women shoulder the (sometimes crushing) burden. That's frustrating -- and it is not good for family life or the economy.
*ponder* Though businesses might consider catering to mothers with a deal like "You can always take time off to take care of your kids, if you make up for it by doing X, Y, and Z." An exchange of favors is fair, and employees can become intensely loyal to a company that offers valuable perks that other companies don't. Look how some companies have become hotbeds of queer tolerance and creativity.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}