Every time women point to the fact that their pay is lower then men ,or that maybe there really is a glass ceiling, there is often push back that "it's all in our minds"( Isn't it always?)
So I was particularly taken with Jori Des Jardins post on Blogher ,Why Women Don't Always Share Their Family Photos At Work. In this post she shares the very real experiences and fears of associates who are hesitant to tell their bosses they are pregnant.
Jori's post also includes an excerpt from the Denver Post about a recent Cornell University Study that indicates women with kids are (a) less likely to get called for interviews and (b) when hired, earn less.
"In the study, The Motherhood Penalty, (Cornell University Professor Shelley) Correll sent 300 pairs of cover letters and resumes to advertised midlevel marketing positions in an undisclosed Northeastern city. Some of the cover letters mentioned a family, while others made no mention of children. Applicants who didn't mention a family were called in for an interview twice as frequently as those who did. The study found proof that not only are women with children less likely to get hired, their starting salaries are significantly less than similarly qualified fathers or women without children--an average of $11,000 less."
The article also has some advice to corporations interviewing applicants: don't bring up the children factor in an interview.
"not only is it bad form to ask about children during job negotiations, it is dangerous for the company. While not illegal, if a comment has been made during an interview and then a problem later arises, that comment could come back to haunt. "
A couple of weeks ago I was chatting with Christine Louise Holbaum, an American mom,and freelance writer, blogger, PR Consultant living in Germany. She explained that since there was no daycare in Germany and school children all came home for lunch, it was virtually impossible for women with children to work outside the home.
At the time it seemed so antiquated and repressive. Now, it seems a bit more honest. While I think the Germany policy is ridiculous, I'm not sure its any more offensive than the situation we have here.
In your face prejudice -- the kind that women with children in Germany experience --is always easier to combat than the kind veiled in political correctness that allows women to think, " it's all in my mind."
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