Workplace Challenges of Millenium Mothers

(Article originally published by WFC Resources, February 2007, as a Guest Column written by Kiki Peppard volunteer activist and member of the executive committee of the national Board of Directors with 9 to 5, National Association of Working Women).

As an inside observer of the challenges mothers face in this millennium with regards to supporting their families physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially, I grow more and more troubled everyday by the increase in the obstacles and barriers that have arisen in the workforce that are thwarting women from achieving personal, familial, and economic equality or success. My concern is that unless we seriously address these inadequacies in American society that apparently is not only turning their backs on this very important segment of our population, which traditionally is responsible for raising and nurturing children, mothers and their families downward spiral in facing degradation and discrimination will continue to be the accepted norm.

Historically, women seem to be constantly fighting for their rights. Besides fighting for the right to vote, battles had to be taken up for pay equity in the workplace. The fight for equal pay for equal work campaigns were taken up by many grassroots organizations as it was discovered that men were making more money than women doing the same or similar jobs. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was enacted to outlaw that practice. Why were employees treating women so unfairly to begin with? Why did a law even have to be enacted? Wouldn’t it have been common sense to pay ALL parties, male and female, equally for the work they perform?

The suppression of women’s rights and inequality in the work place necessitating further laws being enacted or challenged continues. Currently at bat is legal discrimination against women in the job hiring process. In Pennsylvania, many employers still ask women whether they are married or expect to marry during job interviews, despite the fact that it is illegal to do so, under both Pennsylvania and federal law – UNLESS the employers asks the same questions of men, which they virtually never do. Unfortunately, many employers don’t know what they are doing is illegal.

According to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Pamphlet “Pre-Employment Inquiries - What May I Ask, What May I Answer?” listed there are several categories of questions that an employer may or may not ask a job candidate during job interviews. Asking a person’s age is illegal. As to asking about a person’s marital status, the brochure notes, “It is recommended that questions regarding marital status not be asked since it is doubtful the information could be job-related and has been used discriminatorily in the past.”

When I applied for jobs in Pennsylvania, questions about my marital and childbearing status were asked of me at each and every job interview. I soon learned that women who were mothers were considered by employers to be very undesirable candidates for positions. Statements regarding my maternal status were directed at me such as, “take too much time off from work to care for kids, hiring risk, won’t come in when it snows when the schools are closed, not reliable, undependable”. While I would prefer that I am given the opportunity to present my resume and letters of reference before automatically being denied employment for having to divulge my marital and familial status - that would not be the case. I spoke with other women and they revealed to me that deliberate elimination of job applicants who were mothers was more common place than an exception.

In order to clarify that it is illegal to ask women whether they are single mothers in job interviews, Pennsylvania needs a law that expressly forbids this practice. After all, if a woman is ready, willing, and able to perform the job functions, why should an employer care whether or not she is a single mother? Only Twenty-one states in America have laws in place to prohibit employers from asking job candidates about their marital status during job interviews. These states are listed on the website of the Unmarried America: www.unmarriedamerica.org/ms-employment-laws.htm.

For the last six consecutive years, bills have been introduced in Pennsylvania that if passed, would prohibit employers from asking job candidates about their marital/familial status during job interviews. Even though these bills have the support of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, attempts to amend the 51 year old Human Relations Act and to add Pennsylvania to the above list, have not been successful.

Opposition to this legislation is evident in the legislature and in business. During an interview on NPR Radio, “Pennsylvania Mom Fight Hiring Bias”, the director of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry said he will oppose the legislation if reintroduced. In both the Pennsylvania House and Senate, past committee chairmen assigned this legislation have withheld bills from committee vote each session preventing these bills from reaching the floors for a vote and subsequently from becoming a law.

Terms that we read in various magazine and newspaper articles that include family friendly policies, balance, equality, workplace flexibility always looks great on paper (or on-line). However, while some outstanding organizations do offer such perks, such benefits are not always the case in the real working world.

The authors of “The Motherhood Manifesto”, Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, report these startling facts on working mothers:

• Mothers earn less: Non-mothers earn 90 cents to a man's dollar; mothers earn 73 cents; and single mothers earn about 60 cents to a man's dollar. This explains why so many women and children in the U.S. live in poverty, and why there are so few women in leadership.

• Discrimination against hiring mothers is rampant. Recent Cornell University research by Dr. Shelley Correll confirmed what many American women learn when they look for work: Mothers are 44 percent less likely to be hired than non-mothers who have the same experience, and qualifications; and mothers are offered significantly lower starting pay (study participants offered non-mothers an average of $11,000 more than mothers) for the same job as equally qualified non-mothers.

• Ann Crittenden writes, "....a college-educated woman with one child can easily pay a 'Mommy tax' (lost lifetime earnings) of $1 million." This explains why so many more elderly women than men live in poverty.

Joining the ranks of women in history who fought for the right to vote, women who demanded pay equity, there are numerous organizations currently working the battle lines to not only end maternal discrimination in hiring but to raise the public’s awareness to the facts on obstacles women and mothers face today in the workforce. Two such organizations include 9 to 5, National Association of Working Women and Momsrising.org.

The mothers of this millennium unquestionably have many more obstacles in 2007. It seems the attitudes of society and lawmakers fighting any support of women – particularly mothers in their rights in the work force, are as archaic as the half century old Pennsylvania laws that no longer serve the needs of families today.

Let the record show that our ancestors retired their aprons when the Donna Reed show was no longer televised. The newest crop of activists now joining together to gain justice and equality for women don’t wear aprons; they proudly wear the title of “Mom”.

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Kiki Peppard is a volunteer activist and member of the executive committee of the national Board of Directors with 9 to 5, National Association of Working Women. 9to5 is a grassroots organization working to improve the workplace for women and families. She is also a volunteer activist with MomsRising.org, an on-line organization with a goal to join millions of Americans to work towards bringing attention to motherhood and family friendly matters including key issues such as flexible work options, paid family leave; living wages, and more. Kiki Peppard has led the effort to publicize and correct unfair discrimination against women in job hiring by initiating the introduction of legislation that would make it illegal for employers to ask job candidates questions about their marital/familial status during job interviews. Her story is included in the book The Motherhood Manifesto and in the documentary film by the same name. She is also an employee at a university in northeast Pennsylvania.