Why do companies still do this?

[beera]

I was asked that at a job. I said yes I'd recently married. She told me she didn't want to hire someone who was going to have children right away. I was shocked, I told her I had no intention of having kids anytime soon.

I got the job, worked for her about 2 years then was laid off.

I didn't have kids until 10 years later.

You can always turn it around as a positive "yes I am married and have kids, and we are so lucky to have a wonderful daycare situation so that wouldn't interfere with my work."

I mean right now I'm very lucky, I've got my mom, MIL, and stepmom who are always willing to babysit my son, so my boss knows I have THREE backups!

[SeattleT23]

The correct response is " Will the answer impact whether I am hired or not?".....

if yes, tell them to go F themselves.

If no, tell them to go F themselves

[mizzourah2006]

Originally Posted by Miss J 74

Sorry to necro my old thread, but to answer the question of if men get asked, the answer is yes.

My husband has been on interviews recently, and he said every one has asked him about if he's married and has kids. The funny thing is I am pretty sure his wedding band gives away part of the answer, although to be fair he doesn't have a very traditional looking ring.

I let him know that it is illegal to ask these questions, and to respond with "If you are asking this because you are wondering if I am able to work the hours required, then the answer is yes".

It's not illegal. If hiring decisions are made based off of the question then it can be. Also, what size companies are we talking about? Companies with 50 employees or smaller are not subject to any hiring laws. They can use any hiring criteria they wish.

http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/i...tal_status.cfm

Clearly says they may be used in a claim as "intent to discriminate". It does not say they are illegal questions. There still needs to be evidence that the individual was discriminated against. What if the person that got the job is another married woman? Are married women frequently hired in the organization? There is plenty of evidence the organization could provide to show there was no intent to discriminate.

That being said, it is not a question you should be asking because you open yourself up to EEOC investigations.

[Erauso1592]

Proving discrimination on a job interview is impossible to prove. If the EEOC sends 10 undercover people and 9 tell them "married with family" but the 10th that doesn't gets the offer, then you may have an official complaint. Until then, there's nothing anybody can really do about it. Nobody is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to answer whether you're married with a family. You are free to smile and change the subject or politely end the interview.There's no reason to get emotional. Instead of wasting time getting emotional or confrontational by telling them "it's illegal" or whatever, just nicely smile and tell them their company is "not a good fit" for you. That's it. Don't listen to the people judging you for your feelings. If you're not comfortable, don't continue. They like to use "not a good fit" to reject people, so reject them with the same answer. Let them figure out why you rejected them, if they have the brains. The people who are submissive and complacent enough to answer intrusive questions, can do that if they like. You need to do what works for you. I have personally never answered weird, intrusive or other bias-indicative questions at interviews that I felt were used to screen me out. Because if this is how they are at an interview, how are they going to treat me after they hire me?