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Singlism - discrimination against singles - is being recognized
Posted by yurble
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Singlism - discrimination against singles - is being recognized August 16, 2017 | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 12,434 |
This article discusses what we already know: how singles and people without children are treated unfairly in the workplace. The topic is finally gaining wider attention.
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While it’s tricky to nail down concrete statistics that prove how much singles might be being indirectly penalised in the workplace, a recent UK study of 25,000 workers found that two thirds of childless women aged 28 to 40 felt that they were expected to work longer hours. Growing numbers of workers, academics and analysts are documenting the issue.
During research for his book Going Solo, Eric Klinenberg, a professor of sociology at New York University interviewed hundreds of single people in Europe and America and discovered “there was widespread perception that singles became the workhorses in corporate offices”.
“I met countless workers who complained that their managers viewed them as always available for late night and weekend assignments, because they didn't have children or spouses,” he says.
“In a few cases, I met women who said that they had been denied raises that they deserved, because their managers believed that they didn't need the extra money as much as colleagues with children,” adds the author.
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Re: Singlism - discrimination against singles - is being recognized August 16, 2017 | Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 2,364 |
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Re: Singlism - discrimination against singles - is being recognized August 16, 2017 | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 2,308 |
Bella DePaulo has done some excellent work in this regard. I don't believe there is a proactive government "solution" (ie., law) to rectify this issue. We've got to get away from "protected classes" of just about everything. The system is not perfect and will not be perfect, but I am not willing to sacrifice the good in search of the perfect.
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Re: Singlism - discrimination against singles - is being recognized August 16, 2017 | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 497 |
I read Klinenberg's book a few years ago and it was a good read. Another good read which included a CF woman who ended discrimination in the workplace under her supervision was Joyce Purnick, after she rose to Metro Editor at the New York Times. In Elinor Burkett's "The Baby Boon" book, she wrote about how Purnick ended favorable treatment for the parents who had gotten holiday weekends off while the singles and CF reporters had to work them all the time. All Purnick did was spread around those unwanted assignments to those who hadn't worked a holiday weekend in at least 2 years, angering all the entitled parents who had become used to getting those times off, while pleasing the CF and singles who were always unhappy about having to work them.
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Re: Singlism - discrimination against singles - is being recognized August 17, 2017 | Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 1,227 |
Literally in every place I've ever worked in, the single and CF were the ones staying late, expected to pick up extra work, etc, certainly among the rank and file employees. Not so much for managers though, I had one boss who had 4 kids in one place I worked and I had a shit ton of respect for her because she'd never ask her team to do shit she wouldn't do herself. Never once used her kids as an excuse.
The boss I have now? Constant pulling out of meetings, last minute not doing her shifts, forgetting things she's booked in, because kids. Utter rubbish.
The boss I have now? Constant pulling out of meetings, last minute not doing her shifts, forgetting things she's booked in, because kids. Utter rubbish.
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Re: Singlism - discrimination against singles - is being recognized August 17, 2017 | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 7,149 |
A coworker was ranked higher in military evaluations than I, and when I asked why when we did the same job and I worked longer hours I heard all about her toddler with DS. I dropped my retirement paperwork the next morning.
She did not get the promotion, and a few months later wrecked her car with DS toddler in it. She was drunk and high on prescription drugs...I heard she was getting the boot.
Good call, there.
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From a bottle cap message on a Magic Hat #9 beer: Condoms Prevent Minivans
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I want to pick up a bus full of unruly kids and feed them gummi bears and crack, then turn them loose in Hobby Lobby to ransack the place. They will all be wearing T shirts that say "You Could Have Prevented This."
She did not get the promotion, and a few months later wrecked her car with DS toddler in it. She was drunk and high on prescription drugs...I heard she was getting the boot.
Good call, there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From a bottle cap message on a Magic Hat #9 beer: Condoms Prevent Minivans
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I want to pick up a bus full of unruly kids and feed them gummi bears and crack, then turn them loose in Hobby Lobby to ransack the place. They will all be wearing T shirts that say "You Could Have Prevented This."
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Re: Singlism - discrimination against singles - is being recognized August 17, 2017 | Registered: 19 years ago Posts: 9,198 |
The Joyce Purnick story gets worse. She made a commencement speech at one of the Seven Sisters (IIRC) and she made an offhand remark that she probably wouldn't have taken/got the job if she had kids. It required her to work nights and to follow stories and just be there--some jobs are immediate and you can't just drop things and run home. (Or you can, if you are a Breeder.)
She was actually more CL than CF, as she married later in life.
The other Moos at the NYT went to her manager behind her back and complained. They wanted her to be fired!
Because you can NEVER NEVER NEVER admit that some jobs require real sacrifices and they can't be "multi-tasked" with Moohood. (At least not effectively.) A mother could probably do the job if she had a spouse who in essence was the mother in the relationship.
She didn't get fired and IIRC, her boss said it was akin to a "witch hunt."
She was actually more CL than CF, as she married later in life.
The other Moos at the NYT went to her manager behind her back and complained. They wanted her to be fired!
Because you can NEVER NEVER NEVER admit that some jobs require real sacrifices and they can't be "multi-tasked" with Moohood. (At least not effectively.) A mother could probably do the job if she had a spouse who in essence was the mother in the relationship.
She didn't get fired and IIRC, her boss said it was akin to a "witch hunt."
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Re: Singlism - discrimination against singles - is being recognized August 18, 2017 | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 12,434 |
A place I worked did a survey to get some certification. There were a lot of questions about office environment, work/life balance and so on which I thought were inclusive enough. Then it started asking about working part time and parental leave, and if these had affected my career, or if I thought they would affect my career...there was really no option for "I don't know if they would, because I never want to try them, but they ought to."
I might not like it, but if I had an extended illness and missed a year of work, I'd expect my career to be delayed by a year. If I could work fewer hours while recovering, the same would be true. No matter how much people want to deny it, if you participate for less time, you'll gain less experience, all other things being equal. So either people taking leave are twice as capable as the rest of us, or they are getting the same reward for less skill.
One of the many reasons I think everyone should get sabbaticals, just to level the playing field.
I might not like it, but if I had an extended illness and missed a year of work, I'd expect my career to be delayed by a year. If I could work fewer hours while recovering, the same would be true. No matter how much people want to deny it, if you participate for less time, you'll gain less experience, all other things being equal. So either people taking leave are twice as capable as the rest of us, or they are getting the same reward for less skill.
One of the many reasons I think everyone should get sabbaticals, just to level the playing field.
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Re: Singlism - discrimination against singles - is being recognized August 18, 2017 | Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 294 |
Our company just instituted PAID maternity leave. I can't seem to get people to understand that this amounts to paying people MORE than me for the same job (actually it wouldn't be for the same job...since they would actually be working LESS than me but being paid MORE)! This is a change in the compensation package based on the lifestyle choices of someone outside of work.
This is pure discrimination. Forget about me, I guess, it's clear the don't give a shit about their single child free employees. What about those who can't have kids and can't afford to adopt?
I'm seriously thinking about doing something about this, but I don't know what. Any suggestions?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If you can't feed your baby, then don't have a baby. And don't think maybe, if you can't feed your baby."
- The wisdom of the late Michael Jackson
"The mother of the year should be a sterilized woman with two adopted children." - Paul Ehrlich
This is pure discrimination. Forget about me, I guess, it's clear the don't give a shit about their single child free employees. What about those who can't have kids and can't afford to adopt?
I'm seriously thinking about doing something about this, but I don't know what. Any suggestions?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If you can't feed your baby, then don't have a baby. And don't think maybe, if you can't feed your baby."
- The wisdom of the late Michael Jackson
"The mother of the year should be a sterilized woman with two adopted children." - Paul Ehrlich
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Re: Singlism - discrimination against singles - is being recognized August 18, 2017 | Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 1,227 |
Quote
bell_flower
The Joyce Purnick story gets worse. She made a commencement speech at one of the Seven Sisters (IIRC) and she made an offhand remark that she probably wouldn't have taken/got the job if she had kids. It required her to work nights and to follow stories and just be there--some jobs are immediate and you can't just drop things and run home. (Or you can, if you are a Breeder.)
She was actually more CL than CF, as she married later in life.
The other Moos at the NYT went to her manager behind her back and complained. They wanted her to be fired!
Because you can NEVER NEVER NEVER admit that some jobs require real sacrifices and they can't be "multi-tasked" with Moohood. (At least not effectively.) A mother could probably do the job if she had a spouse who in essence was the mother in the relationship.
She didn't get fired and IIRC, her boss said it was akin to a "witch hunt."
Breeders don't like the truth - there are some jobs that are incompatible with parenthood, unless you have a spouse who is willing to do more childcare or can afford a live in nanny or something.
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