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I actually wrote a series of papers a few years
ago while finishing up my degree on the topic of
why the Tech Writing field appeared to be such a
white woman's field. During my research one
thing that came to light in the area of hiring
psychology and statistics was that any given job
was not applied for by a diverse population. In
other words, there were cultural and sex-based
biases that encouraged people to not apply for
tech writing jobs. For instance, as a cultural
group, several resources asserted that Asian
families and many males considered the field not
prestigious or technical enough.
African-American families considered the field
not helpful or socially conscious enough (as
apposed to Dr, lawyer, teacher). After that
factor another one which I termed the "good ole
girl effect" for purposes of my paper is the
tendency of all hiring managers everywhere to
select someone just like other team members for
ease of team building (it's easier to bring a
like person into a group). How that "like-ness"
is defined by the manager is where you get into
issues of the benefits/problems of diversity.
We've all seen a woman manager who feels it is
her right and privilege to help other women
succeed.
Also, just on a personal note, during both my
pregnancies (prior to 1994) I left work for only
6 weeks, had planned with my manager how to
handle it, and helped train the temporary
replacement and what to do with them once I came
back. Isn't this more the norm? (with the
obvious addition of another 6 weeks often).
Thanks,
Faye Newsham
(nearing 40 with over 15 years experience in the
field of tech writing/editing and help authoring)
--- techwr-l-request -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com wrote:
> Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 10:16:10 -0400
> From: "Robotti, Anne \(Carlin\)"
> <ARobotti -at- CarlinGroup -dot- com>
> Subject: RE: Hiring Discrimination
> To: "Bill Swallow" <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com>,
> <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Message-ID:
>
>
<2BC1891575B27A4189851638D93E62C9693457 -at- 666-02-MSG -dot- carlingroup -dot- com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>
> > I honestly don't know what I would have done
> with the
> > information, but I certainly would have been
> taken aback and
> > may have even commented out loud that it was
> a discriminatory
> > remark (probably off the cuff without
> checking my head first).
> >
> > That's just rotten, let alone illegal.
>
> Yabbut... It's rotten, it's illegal, but geez!
> *Somebody* has to be
> there to do the work!
>
> I've taken four maternity leaves in the past
> eight years (from 3
> different companies.) That's a LOT of paid time
> out of the office! And
> while I still think that I was overall a
> productive member of my teams,
> there's really no denying that these companies
> hired me, I worked for
> 6-12 months, and then I was OOO for four
> months.
>
> I have five children. *That's* time out of the
> office too, for one thing
> and another. And I'd have to be blind not to
> realize that that has some
> impact on my team. My office mate can't
> announce that he's taking a few
> hours to go out on his boat, but "school play"
> is my free pass to a
> morning off work. It's *not* fair. And certain
> types of managers,
> certain types of teams, can't absorb that.
>
> There's a line there somewhere. As a hiring
> manager, you *do* have to
> think twice about whether to hire someone
> that's going to take a
> maternity leave right when your product is
> launching. The unfair part is
> assuming that any woman between 25 and 40 is
> that woman.
>
> I'm looking back over this, and I can't tell if
> I'm communicating what I
> want to say clearly. I'm not an advocate of
> discrimination in the work
> place, of course. But I'm not sure that parents
> or people who intend to
> become parents should be a protected class. I
> don't think it's
> reprehensible to know that your team can't
> absorb a four-month maternity
> leave easily. And I've *always* appreciated
> managers who were up front
> with me about the need for face time, a rigid
> work schedule, etc and let
> me make an informed decision on whether that
> was something I could live
> with.
>
> Anne
>
>
>
<375e3cb30609260748w39a6e5cbn67547b46a998e892 -at- mail -dot- gmail -dot- com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1;
> format=flowed
>
> > Yabbut... It's rotten, it's illegal, but
> geez! *Somebody* has to be
> > there to do the work!
>
> Yes, that's true. But you don't go from
> fertilization to birth
> overnight... unless you're a fly. ;-) Generally
> you have many months
> to plan your leave. The reaction of not hiring
> young women to the
> issue of "somebody has to be there to do the
> work" is, well, flat out
> illegal. We can argue it, but it's pointless.
> The law says that this
> is illegal.
>
> > I've taken four maternity leaves in the past
> eight years (from 3
> > different companies.) That's a LOT of paid
> time out of the office! And
> > while I still think that I was overall a
> productive member of my teams,
> > there's really no denying that these
> companies hired me, I worked for
> > 6-12 months, and then I was OOO for four
> months.
>
> Would it be fair to kick you to the curb once
> you start showing?
>
> > I have five children. *That's* time out of
> the office too, for one thing
> > and another. And I'd have to be blind not to
> realize that that has some
> > impact on my team. My office mate can't
> announce that he's taking a few
> > hours to go out on his boat, but "school
> play" is my free pass to a
> > morning off work. It's *not* fair. And
> certain types of managers,
> > certain types of teams, can't absorb that.
>
> Well, this right here is a management issue.
> Generally, you should be
> taking time off for these leaves of absense, or
> be adjusting your work
> schedule to make up the time away. At least
> that's been the general
> policy/guideline where I've worked (several
> companies).
>
> > There's a line there somewhere. As a hiring
> manager, you *do* have to
> > think twice about whether to hire someone
> that's going to take a
> > maternity leave right when your product is
> launching. The unfair part is
> > assuming that any woman between 25 and 40 is
> that woman.
>
> Well, no, you don't. The fact is, as a hiring
> manager you generally
> don't know whether someone will take a
> maternity leave once hired. And
> if the person you're interviewing is very
> obviously pregnant, and your
> concern is that they will be gone on leave
> during the product launch,
> well, shame on you the manager for staffing at
> such a critical point
> in time. Generally, by the time someone is
> completely up to speed on
> the infrastructure, processes, and product,
> it'll be ship time anyway.
>
> > I'm looking back over this, and I can't tell
> if I'm communicating what I
> > want to say clearly. I'm not an advocate of
> discrimination in the work
> > place, of course. But I'm not sure that
> parents or people who intend to
> > become parents should be a protected class. I
> don't think it's
> > reprehensible to know that your team can't
> absorb a four-month maternity
> > leave easily. And I've *always* appreciated
> managers who were up front
> > with me about the need for face time, a rigid
> work schedule, etc and let
> > me make an informed decision on whether that
> was something I could live
> > with.
>
> Well, I have just this to say. You work so you
> can afford to have a
> life. Your life should not be your work. I
> think the laws are written
> this way to protect quality of life, not
> quality of work.
>
> --
> Bill Swallow
> HATT List Owner
> WWP-Users List Owner
> Senior Member STC, TechValley Chapter
>http://techcommdood.blogspot.com
> avid homebrewer and proud beer snob
> "I see your OOO message and raise you a clue."
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
>
> Robotti, Anne (Carlin)
> [mailto:ARobotti -at- CarlinGroup -dot- com] recalled:
>
> > > In Texas, which has an equal rights
> amendment to the state
> > > constitution, you absolutely *cannot* ask
> an applicant about
> > > whether or not they are planning a family,
> the type of birth
> > > control they use,
> >
> > Ah, the good old days. I had sort of
> forgotten that "what the
> > hell do I
> > do now" feeling that goes along with a
> 50-year-old guy that you're
> > trying to get a job from asking you what type
> of birth
> > control you use.
> > And giving an opinion on its effectiveness.
>
> A useful response might be:
> "It's called infertility."
>
> There's no come-back, and it has a great squirm
> factor.
>
> Kevin
>
etc
etc
etc
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