new here w/ gripe about sahms entering workforce

I am new here with a gripe. I recently worked for a placement agency as a recruiter. From time to time, we had women come in who had not worked in 10, 15 or 20 years. They had been SAH or SAHM. They put this on their resume. They believe everything they did as SAH translates into practical business experience. When told it was be hard to place them, they say they will "settle" for a secretarial job. I'm like, fine, do you know Microsoft Office Suite? Word? Excel? Access? Quickbooks? The answer is always "NO, why is that important anyway?" When told there is NO WAY we can place them in office jobs, some get indignant and rude. They seem to feel entitled to a job they consider easy, without having to learn anything to justify being in that job. I wonder who told these women they'd be able to re-enter the workforce with no problem at all.

it happens in the UK too, But here they are given preferential jobs (for the most part), so most mothers have part time jobs, but when a moo leaves work to spawn, then the company has to keep that job open, so you get the stage where one woman can have 5 children, and only have worked there for 1 year.. and they get paid. they dont leave work, and look after their children. no.. they dont open the job market.

that leaves trained people like me, always on temporary jobs, to cover mooternity leave. When do childfree or people who want a house and work, get a chance.

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I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

The media, a few years ago they were all over the place spouting off that the skills need for management positions were the same ones used on their children. You know, time management; conflict resolution; budgeting and finance...

My closest friend who has 3 kids told me this, 'as a mom I would fit right into a manager position when she went back to work'. I proceeded to ask her how she figured this, she let me know where she had gotten the information, an article in a parenting magazine :eyeroll:

I then asked her what she would do with multiple deadlines and half of her employees were out with either sick kids or were sick themselves. Or if a project was over budget and was only 3/4 of the done and she needed to find another $50,000.00 needed to be found what would she do? She didn't have the answers to any of those questions, I then told her that unless she could figure out a way to do any of the above she needed more working experience to handle a management position.

She finally realized that you do need to work your way up the ladder and can't expect things to be handed to you just because your a 'mawm' Shortly after that she started back to school and is now a semester short of her B.A. I know it was an easy job of convincing her but then again she is very smart and is willing to work hard for what she wants.

The thing is, we all do time management, conflict resolution, budgeting finances, etc. in our daily lives. Moms are not the only ones who do these things.

I live in a state in the U.S. where it's almost impossible to be a SAHM unless you're "old money" or something, but I don't encounter the phenomenon of SAHMs trying to get back into the workforce after 10 years or so out. But expecting to get back into it without basic knowledge of MS Word and EXCEL, at a BARE minimum, is...insane. I would hope that a ong-term SAHM, what with all of her amazing "management" skills would have the sense to at least visit an Kelley Services or Manpower for a "reality check" before marching in and expecting the red carpet treatment and a 6-digit salary. Entitled dumbasses.

Casseyrod posted: "When told it was be hard to place them, they say they will 'settle' for a secretarial job. I'm like, fine, do you know Microsoft Office Suite? Word? Excel? Access? Quickbooks? The answer is always 'NO, why is that important anyway?' "

Good gravy, these moos don't have a clue! Every job requires some form of computer skills these days, and every desk is likely to have a computer on it! These SAHMs would have to have seen before leaving the workforce that everything was headed in that direction—you'd think. Even 15 years ago it was obvious.

I worked as a correctional officer, and even many of the officers had computer accounts at the correctional facility. Those who did not had not been there long. Computer ability was virtually essential for sergeant and above. If even corrections is computerized, what does that say about almost everything else?

SAHMs will come to reality check very soon. The economy will hit bottom, government benefits will have to be reduced. If someone wants to breed, they will pay dearly. That will give breeding a whole new cost, it will not be a free ride that it once used to be.

Even the customer service jobs anyone can get if they can type five words are no longer listed so heavily in the 'Classifieds' due to the economy. Higher end jobs are not as lucrative and many people are looking to move to take a job. Times are not as lush in the U.S.A. any longer. It will be awhile, if ever, until we see the good times again. A lot of these homemakers believe because they can bandage up a toddler with a skinned knee or they pay the bills instead of the husbands how that qualifies them to be nurses or bankers. Everything is computerized nowadays. Go into a 7-11 and see how their systems are on a computer to ring up gas, food, smokes, and booze.

The situation in the health professions is horrible. The cows leave to become SAHMoos for a few years, then come back to work woefully out of date on health care practice. Even six months away can dull your edge if you have not kept up with literature or clinical practice.

Natch, the second the cows come back to work they start bitching about their hours because they are now lowest on the totem pole and expect everyone to kiss their asses. Sorry--doesn't happen that way. If your seniority goes, so does your choice of shifts and your accrued vacation time.

Its not the ones that come back after rearing children that are the problem, its the ones that never give up the job.

Its the ones that never give up, that go on maternity leave get paid, stay home for a year, expect to come back to pay rises, bonus's etc., then after a few months, back up the duff, and the cycle starts all over again.

We have 5 such women in a small office, and the implications are visible. The staff that cover for them during this time has to be professionally qualifed and usually come from a specialist agency which costs a lot of money. if the woman decides she isn't coming back then there is a fee of $1000's of dollar to pay to the agency to keep that person, or if they do come back we are back to time off with pay because the little darling isn't well, time off with pay because the little darling is in a school play, time off for sports days, time off for school holidays, and who are the mugs left to do their work (unpaid for I may add) is the staff without children or with grown up children.

This is simply not good enough, they are users and manipulators, and how long does this child bearing go one for.

By using this system they never release any jobs, so that the younger people out of college and University can get a foot on the ladder. they actually condemn a lot of young people to no jobs ever because of this nasty selfish appalling behaviour that has become the norm.

I've known single mothers who go to the vocational schools for medical assisting with the idea of how they are going to earn $15+ an hour. Most of those jobs where I used to live (Orlando, FL) pay at the most for starters at about $9 or so an hour. Often, the same low-paid gigs want experienced people. Same goes for these paralegal jobs. These "colleges" are the biggest rip-off. One former single mother friend got her info from the old Thrifty Nickel freebie newspaper. She thought she was going to 'University'. No university is going to list with that sort of paper!!!

The moms whine about the hours and the unpaid internship. Why doesn't anyone check out the field ahead of time before taking out student loans and studying for almost two years. The moos also scream about the hours about how their 'CHYULD' comes first as the medical field is a 24/7 job. They often feel entitled to make big $$$ even though they are just starting out in this line of work. As for nursing, most of them run like hell when they find out how hard it is to study to be an RN.

Don't even get me started on the serial maternity-leave employees. I temped for Kelly Services back in the 1990's. It is a nightmare for many employers. I wanted to get on permanently when I was temping for a woman who just quit for a better job. She was not on maternity leave and I was requested a lot for that dealership. I could not get on because the general manager refused to authorize payment for the $3,000 it would cost for me to be hired due to the contract with Kelly Services. I finally stopped temping because I hated how I earned so much less for the same work and got no sort of benefits.

I temped at another place where a mom did come back from leave. I did not work her position but her replacement signed my time card every week. The mother did get a similar job without any pay loss which followed the law but she whined how this other woman, who took her place during the last baby was born, got to remain Assistant to the VP. Well,the other gal was a hell of a lot nicer and more efficient. The moo ended up quitting for another insurance agency anyway...

I hear you about the trade schools. These trade schools are in business to make money, a lot of time they don't care if their graduating students get jobs or not.

Almost all employers want experienced people. If you have a 10 year or even 5 year gap in your employment history, they won't glance twice at you. That is a fact. Resume goes in the rubbish bin.

What I find amusing is that some SAHMs scoff at my job; one SAHM I knew said "why do you want to do such menial work?" My job paid a salary of 35K with full benefits, and where I live, that is not considered "menial". So, this same woman tried to get back into the workforce several years later, and the only thing she got offered were $7 an hour telemarketing jobs! It was poetic justice. It really serves these dumb bitches right.

I've found SAHMs are very sensitive about their own life choice (staying home), but are quick to diss other peoples' careers.

It ain't just the SAHMs, casseyrod, who scoff at so-called menial jobs. Look at my Rant #2690. My former Zen friend who has not workd in NINE years since coming to this country to marry an American scoffed at all of my "menial" jobs.

The woman came from an English-speaking country and is not a person of colour so she has no excuse. Oh...she did work in a bookstore for ONE day and could not handle it. The hubby was less than thrilled but it is really HIS problem since he has allowed this able-bodied wife not to work and then get on his case about every bloody thing.

I find many not-working women -- childed or not -- who are sensitiv about their own life choice but also diss other people's careers. I am not working right now...and thanks the gods I am not as my partner and I are moving out-of-state due to his job. He is on his way to the other state while I get the house ready for sale.

I've worked my ass off since I was 17. I am in my 40's. So what if I worked menial jobs that the housewives laugh at. At least, I can fucking take care of myself!!!! No marriage/relationship is guaranteed to last so my former pal and the SAHMs should really look at themselves rather than laugh at us.

My ex-friend would have to go back to her country if her spouse got sick of her shit. She can't survive here in the United States. This woman has not worked in nine years. What can she do but go to Wal-Mart where she looks down on the workers there.

Anoymous for now... Wrote:
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> It ain't just the SAHMs, casseyrod, who scoff at
> so-called menial jobs. Look at my Rant #2690. My
> former Zen friend who has not workd in NINE years
> since coming to this country to marry an American
> scoffed at all of my "menial" jobs.
>
> The woman came from an English-speaking country
> and is not a person of colour so she has no
> excuse. Oh...she did work in a bookstore for ONE
> day and could not handle it. The hubby was less
> than thrilled but it is really HIS problem since
> he has allowed this able-bodied wife not to work
> and then get on his case about every bloody thing.

I might as well "tell on myself"...

I am/was 'Anonymous for now..." because I still do feel anger how my former friend was so nasty when feeling she had no more use for me. What I meant about the woman not being a 'person of colour' is she is not from a third world nation where she came to this country not knowing the language and had every barrier to getting a job. My ex-friend could have worked but chose not to for the past 9 years while living off of her husband...just like I mentioned under my alias. Yeah...it also stings that the gal would look down on some of the jobs I did and once said, "Work sucks so much," in a snide tone when I was grousing years ago about some B*S on a job. I look back and should have known. My bad...s

I have worked my whole life, too. I know several women who SAH and their attitude rubs me the wrong way entirely. They view their husband simply as a meal ticket, nothing more.

Some of these smug housewives are like "oh, well if something happens to my husband, we have a great life insurance policy!" I'd like to say "yeah, and if your husband LEAVES you for another woman, you won't GET his life insurance policy".

The housewives can laugh all the want at our "menial" jobs...I'd like to see where they are, when their husbands leave, and they have to fend for themselves financially. Yes, they can get a divorce settlement, but that only goes so far. Where will they get their health insurance? What about retirement funds? They aren't getting his life insurance policy after the divorce, that's for damn sure. And getting a job without experience is even harder once you get older - there is this thing called "age discrimination", its unfair, but its reality.

Its funny to watch people laugh at jobs they wouldn't be qualified to do, even if they tried. I swear, some of these women will be working as Wal Mart greeters some day. Mark my word.

Thank-you for your support, casseyrod. I never thought it would be a *CF* woman who would be so snide when ending the friendship. I know I am bitching about it online but that is a little progress compared to the e-mail I really wanted to send her after her little bit of how she is too Zen and enlightened to continue our friendship.

I wanted to tell Ex-Friend how she would not have had the time to get into enlightenment had it not been for her husband allowing her to stay at home and not deal with the exhaustion of working full-time. She has said the same shit of getting her mate's savings if she outlived him.

Girl, you are right how there would be no damned $$$ if the guy tires of her ass. She cannot keep a friend to save her life and has run off his family who was not cruel to her...just loud Italians. I know...I am 1/2 Sicilian and know the culture. Please...being childfree does not guarantee no divorce.

Many of us have been divorced on this site. I doubt my former friend could handle even being a Wal-Mart greeter and would be back in her country since it is socialized and citizens do not need kids to be on the dole. I'd get the last laugh...:spin

Oh, I know how even a larger divorce settlement can go fast with women who got these things and did not know how to manage money. Instead, they acted like they were rich and broke by the time a year was out.

I, too, know about age discrimination. That is why I focused on call center and security work as being in my 40's no longer got me the receptionist gigs as when I was younger, a little cuter, and weighed much less. Experience did not count for much despite having loads of it.

I need to fucking GET OVER IT and stop being so bitter...

DrDanCorelli Wrote:
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> The situation in the health professions is
> horrible. The cows leave to become SAHMoos for a
> few years, then come back to work woefully out of
> date on health care practice. Even six months
> away can dull your edge if you have not kept up
> with literature or clinical practice.

This issue really gets to me.

I'm in the administrative side of healthcare & I'm sick of these SAHM's thinking my type of job is so easy. It's getting more far more intensive with all the HIPPA laws, & everything including claims filing is electronic now.

I've even had SAHM's ask me if the doc would just hire them to do medical claims from home!!! If they did, you would be in the poor house, DrDan. I mean cm'on, how hard is it to at least take a friggin online course? Oh no, they just want to walk in & have everything easy.

Then if they do they work for 6 mos & then send an email out to their coworkers with their ultrasound & due date, expecting congrats from everyone. Fuck em, it's their own fault for putting themselves in this situation.

Yea, I get a kick out of that too. They think their days filled with play dates, changing diapers, refereeing fights and making mac-n-cheese translates to real business experience.

They're all so fucking delusional.

I have never encountered this at a job, probably because I'm an exec admin so I guess if a sahm gets in, she's reception or something. The comments about the husband bailing and leaving mom holding the bag are hysterical.

What little TV i watch, I always comment to my husband that a particular man is probably already banging his secretary with a wife like that- Clean house, Trading Spouses, etc. All the fun and none of the "Here, I've had him ALL DAY. You take him."

Schadenfreude. It's a beautiful thing. My boss' wife won't allow us to talk privately when she comes to visit....with her newborn twins in tow.....

I still work in a professional capacity at the age of 72 years I can still outwork, outclass these parasites who have no intention of working a full week if they can possibly avoid it.

I earn every cent of my pay.

its nothing to do with being at home with children it is about the avoidance of doing a full weeks work never mind the continual being away for a year at a time and then not even putting in a full weeks work on their return.

I still work in a professional capacity at the age of 72 years I can still outwork, outclass these parasites who have no intention of working a full week if they can possibly avoid it.

I earn every cent of my pay.

its nothing to do with being at home with children its about the avoidance of doing a full weeks work never mind the continual being away for a year at a time and then not even putting in a full weeks work on their return.

Amethusos - I too, have some CF friends who are SAH. One of them hasn't worked in 10 years. Even when her husband was threatened with a possible lay-off at his job - she still would not go out and look for work. In a few years, he will be taking care of his aging mother, since he is an only child. So, he will have two dependent adults to care for. I don't envy his situation.

Divorce rate in the U.S. is somewhere around 50%. A very sobering statistic. I feel its an unwise choice to not work for years and just think a husband is going to always be there.

I think the women who work are going to have the last laugh.

My mom is in her 60s and has worked her whole life, in fact, she worked two jobs when she was in her 50s. She owns her home, free and clear. She is not rich, but she has a roof over her head. She knows several women in her age group who also went through divorce, but now have nothing and they can't get a job at their age. They want to move in with my mom; she always tells them no, because she likes living alone. She earned that roof over her head, why should she have to share it with people who didn't work?

Casseyrod posted: "She knows several women in her age group who also went through divorce, but now have nothing and they can't get a job at their age. They want to move in with my mom; she always tells them no, because she likes living alone. She earned that roof over her head, why should she have to share it with people who didn't work?"

Strangers asking to move in with your mom? Good grief, Casseyrod, those people are brazen!

As an aside on this topic, I've had problems with morbid obesity all my life. I was the fat kid in school everybody made fun of back in the '70s... The irony is that I keep hearing about how much the obese and overweight supposedly "cost" employers and society in sickness, etc., but in corrections I worked with other obese people. In general we used far less sick time and had far fewer serious illnesses requiring large medical insurance expenditures than many other people there. The absolute worst were women with chyldren (and this is broadly true for other employers). They would call in at the drop of a hat saying they or the sprog(s) were sick. Several of them have been displined for abusing sick leave, whereas when I left corrections in 2006 to care for my stepfather and mother, I got a fat check for unused leave time.

Of course, this often put us in a bind, and people from the previous shift would be drafted to work for the poor dears. And you could often tell these women with sprogs didn't really want to be working in the first place: they all wanted to be SAHMs but could not afford it. They would slack and in general be unreliable. That's a hell of an attitude to display around inmates, and it put us all at potential risk in an emergency.

I'm still trying to figure how those of us who are obese cost employers so much more than, say, women with dependent chyldren...

I am not overweight but I've heard people with this bullshit too, about overweightness, and it pisses me off to no end. From my personal experiences in the workplace, it's ALWAYS the breeder moo or duh who abuse sick time and accumulates FAR more of it than any of my overweight co-workers. Fuck them.


k-man Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > As an aside on this topic, I've had problems with
> morbid obesity all my life. I was the fat kid in
> school everybody made fun of back in the '70s...
> The irony is that I keep hearing about how much
> the obese and overweight supposedly "cost"
> employers and society in sickness, etc., but in
> corrections I worked with other obese people. In
> general we used far less sick time and had far
> fewer serious illnesses requiring large medical
> insurance expenditures than many other people
> there. The absolute worst were women with
> chyldren (and this is broadly true for other
> employers). They would call in at the drop of a
> hat saying they or the sprog(s) were sick.
> Several of them have been displined for abusing
> sick leave............."

It is called sense of self entitlement.