My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Chat with other users about all things related to working life on our Work forum.

Work

rejected for being a mum

32 replies

disgustec · 17/07/2014 22:08

After many years and with our youngest now 16, my decided to go back to wok. She went to an interview that last all of 3 min where she could not be employed a he had not worked or signed on in the last 10 years. Discriminatory or what

OP posts:
Report
Figster · 17/07/2014 22:09

Did she have relevant skills for the job she was being interviewed for?

Report
chanie44 · 18/07/2014 08:43

Need more details before I can comment!!!

Report
Trapper · 18/07/2014 08:52

Rejected for being a mum, or rejected for not having recent relevant experience for a skilled role?

Can you clarify?

Report
Preciousbane · 18/07/2014 08:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

disgustec · 19/07/2014 11:08

She had all the skills necessary for the job. She was turned away because she cannot show a full ten year work history or having been in receipt of unemployment benefit for the last ten years .As a stay at home mum with working husband she could not sign on for unemployment benefit.

OP posts:
Report
Heels99 · 19/07/2014 11:10

You don't end to have a 10 year work histor or claimed benefits to get a job. This doesn't sound right, was the interview with an employer?

Report
gallicgirl · 19/07/2014 11:11

The employer is obviously an idiot then and she's had a lucky escape.

Does her cv need revamping? I assume it explains the employment gap.

Report
nigerdelta · 19/07/2014 11:12

She also could have no work history for 10+ yrs because of her own chronic illness, travelling, caring for a family member, or a lazy cow. Unless you can show that as a woman she's more likely to be in almost all of those categories (so indirect gender discrimination) then you've no legal case to make.

Better to think constructively about how to get some work experience & up to date references. Temp work can be good.

Report
amyhamster · 19/07/2014 11:14

There could have been numerous reasons
Just focus on the next opportunity & move on
She could start by volunteering at the local library - they always need IT buddies, home library volunteers etc

Report
Jinsei · 19/07/2014 11:15

I can't understand why an employer would need evidence of you having signed on when not working. Confused

However, the problem is not that she is a mother.

Report
Viviennemary · 19/07/2014 11:16

I don't think it's discrimination for being a Mum. But she has no relevant up to date experience or training or qualifications to enable her to enter the workplace. She will have to work on the best way to get up to date references and some work experience and qualifications.

Report
NotCitrus · 19/07/2014 12:30

Do they just need proof of what she has been doing for 10 years? A personal reference and child benefits payments should cover that.

Report
Kimaroo · 19/07/2014 12:42

Surely they would have read her cv first before the interview and know that for 10 years she was bringing up the children? Seems odd to me. If it is as you say, then she has had a lucky escape from an employer who doesn't understand that people have choices. What if she had spent 10 years globe-trotting on an inheritance or the many other reasons why people don't sign on? I never did for the 12 years I stayed at home with the children.

I would imagine most people put in their job history eg 2004 - 2014 bringing up family. And then in the relevant skills section, list all the stuff from those 10 years that could be useful like multitasking, volunteering, managing behaviours etc. depending on the job. Nothing for an employer to nit-pick there.

Report
Jinsei · 19/07/2014 12:44

What was the job?

Report
WeAllHaveWings · 19/07/2014 13:05

Our company imports to US and joined the C TPAT (trade partnership against terrorism) initiative. T be part of this they must perform background checks on all potential employees and these include employment history - I don't know everything about it, but was told by a colleague that if someone had a broken employment history (periods not employed aNd not signing on) they were harder to take on.

Report
disgustec · 19/07/2014 14:50

Someone who has been on the dole also has none of these experiences but they are excepted.

OP posts:
Report
Jinsei · 19/07/2014 14:51

So what's the job?

Report
Petallic · 19/07/2014 14:55

10 year work history with no gaps is sometimes advertised with jobs that are connected to finance, cash handling or jobs that require more than a basic security check.

Report
Petallic · 19/07/2014 14:57

If someone was in the sole they have something to prove what they were doing at that time. It's the 10 year checkable history they are interested in. I saw a job this morning on Indeed that said the same but can't find it again now.

Report
Petallic · 19/07/2014 14:57

*on the dole

Report
disgustec · 19/07/2014 14:59

They won't except this you have to have been in work or signing on for unemployment benefit which a mum can't do

OP posts:
Report
Jinsei · 19/07/2014 15:03

Well, perhaps she needs to look for a different kind of job then, if she can't pass the security check for this one.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

RiojaHaze · 19/07/2014 15:03

I used to sell security systems and for the company to be part of the professional body, all employees had to have a 10 year proven record.

Report
forago · 19/07/2014 15:09

I'm a mum and have got a 20 year constant work history, I've never had more than a couple of weeks between jobs since finishing university. I had 3 maternity leaves of 9-11 months but, as a full time employee, I was still classed as employed by the company and went back to the same job each time.

I know literally 100's of women with children in the same position.

Report
forago · 19/07/2014 15:12

so she could have had a 10 year full work history is what I am saying. the fact that she doesn't just makes her unsuitable for this particular job I think.

Plenty of women take career breaks and explain it on their CV and then go back to work. My SIL is a practising barrister and didn't work for 15 years.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.