Update on Kiki and PA

Sheila Gibbons of Media Report to Women just posted a great opinion piece on the state of the PA "Maternal Profiling" issue on Women's eNews.

From the article:

Speaking of business strategy and worker flexibility, on Dec. 3, Catalyst, the women's business research group, and Brandeis Women's Studies Research Center, released a report about parents who worry about what their kids are doing after school while they are at work. The authors found that organizational supports such as telecommuting, backup child care reimbursement, bankable leave time and flexible schedules are not only what parents most want, they are also a great way to boost loyalty.

The report also recommends that working parents ask their employers about the availability of such workplace supports.

But that gets us back to the root of the maternal profiling problem: finding work in the first place. If you are afraid to confess to your prospective employer in the interview that you even have children--as Peppard says many women are--will you really ask for the flexibility you need if the job is offered to you?

"What I can't stress enough is that this legislation impacts all women, not just mothers," Peppard says. "I can't tell you how many women have told me that they were asked during job interviews when they planned to become pregnant. Do you know of any male asked during a job interview when he planned to get someone pregnant or if he ever did?"

Comments

[Emily]

Don't you just love that last quote? Kiki is the best. She has been working so tirelessly on this over the years, and it is TIME to get this legislation passed. 2007 is the year.

[Sandy D.]

I'd like to nominate this post for a feature in the next Carnival of Feminists (see http://imponderabilia.blogspot.com/2006/12/28th-carnival-of-feminists.html ).