Why wont employers give mothers a chance, when they are trying to return to work?

Question

We have the experience, patience and very reliable. We have to be we are responsible for alot. We understand shuffling time to fit everything in, thats what makes us that much better than employing someone just out of school. Secondly we have loads of experience. Myself I am 39, I have experience squeezing out of every cell.
Us mothers going back to work, have computers and can take unfinished work home with us to finish when we put the kids in bed.
If I was an employer, I would hire me. Do younger people ask that to themselves honestly?

I would also like to add, employment agencies are not focused to help mothers go back to work, but on getting full time jobs for younger people.
With all my experience and everything I was sent to stuff and packing jobs, when someone straight out of school was getting administration jobs without hardly any experience.
I have qualifications and experience just haven't been working for 5 years while I brought up my two young children. My tubes are tied - no more surprises - give me a chance.

Answer 1

It's ok for you to bring up during phone or in person interviews that you're not going to have anymore children. They can't ask it, but you can bring it up.

If I were you, I'd put my "mom" experience on a resume. Put in that you've been on a sabbatical for the last x years raising your children, but that you're excited about getting back into the business world again. In that section let them know that you learned a lot about patience, time management, multi-tasking and whatever else you can think of. Also, if you've done anything special (classes or just self paced learning) to keep your skills current, note that.

You probably can't reasonably expect to re-enter the job market at the same level you left. You can probably expect to re-enter a rung or two below where you left.

Just keep at it & someone will hire you & be wowed by your experience and your enhanced skill set.

Answer 2

If you've not been working for five years, most employers would like feel that your experience is rather stale and needs updating. Have you considered taking classes to update your skills? And too, it would seem that mothers do take off much more time from work to tend to sick children or attend some school function or whatever. I've been working for 16 years and it never fails that I would see this happen with mothers (usually leaving everyone else to pick up the slack).

What I would suggest is that you take some classes first and foremost. I should also mention that asking someone if they have children is an 'illegal' question...although with a 5-year gap on your resume, there is no better way to explain it.

Answer 3

I think it may be because they have been burned by mothers (and sometimes dad's too) who have had to prioritize job and family issues, and work comes second (as it should in many instances). That being said though, some parents do take advantage of flexiblity issues- I have a co worker with 3 kids, 16, 11 and 6, and he is often late and leaves early (and we have flex time, so that's hard to do!) to do kid related things, and it causes resentment with other workers because they have to pick up the slack because George is late (or left early), again.

Answer 4

The mothers in my office have the highest absenteeism. Sick children, children's school events, school holidays, etc. The list goes on. At times it's a real burden for us.

I was once a young mother. I was fortunate in that I had a great baby-sitter and my parents substituted in a pinch. I missed very little work. It might help to be able to present that type of info to an employer, so they know you won't be missing work. Just a thought.

Answer 5

At my office, the moms and dads are frequently taking time off for sick kids, school plays, parent/teacher conferences, day care emergencies and so on. Our company is somewhat flexible and allows this within reason.

These are some of the issues that employers honestly have to look at. If you have two equally qualified candidates and one is single and willing to put in any hours needed and the other has a full family life and may have to miss work on occasion to tend to the kids, the hiring managers tend to pick the one who will put in the time.
There may be an age factor as well. They may see someone just out of school as a career hire who will become promotion material and completely dedicated to the company. A 22 year old graduate has more of their career ahead of them. They may be unwilling to invest in someone a few years older who will not be as committed to work since family should come before work.
Another factor may be how current your skills and knowledge are. Workplaces are changing rapidly. If you have been out for a few years, you may need to brush up on your skills to be competitive. (You didn't mention what industry you work in---this may or may not be an issue.)
I wouldn't offer to take work home! Yikes!

On a legal note, employers are not allowed to ask about your family situation, if you plan to have more kids, etc. They can ask if there is anything that would prevent you from working your scheduled shift/hours. (This is where you would have to say that (for example) you have to pick your kids up from school every day at 3pm and can't work until 5pm.) But they can not ask you if you would have to leave work to pick up the kids on a regular basis. If you want to volunteer more information, you can but they can't ask first.

My office is a pretty good mix of younger, older, parents, and singles. However, I'll be honest, when they look at promotion material, attendance (reliability) and willingness to work overtime are two of the most important factors. I had a good friend who was temping at my office and they absolutely refused to hire her permanently because she kept having to leave on short notice to pick up her son from school. It wasn't anything she could control but they would have been forced to fire her within a few weeks for the sheer number of attendance violations.

Good luck with your search!

Answer 6

To be honest...

Moms have to leave early for sick kids
Moms have to call in more often due to kids
Moms have to leave on time to do things with/for the kids

I do not agree with how most corporations think but that's the way they think when hiring moms.

Answer 7

Hi,

I think all employers are not like that. I found one site which have online job from home for moms specially. Actully I have got online job from there.
You should return in work cause this is best way to spend time and to earn more money. So you should got to page.
http://www.muskan.page.tl/Contact.htm