Quoting Meike Reichle (meike@alphascorpii.net): > things to offer that others may not (I'm not talking about apple pie > here) also research (e.g. Relinking Life and Work by Rhona Rapoport and > Lotte Bailyn) shows that work/life balance measures such as flexible > work times don't only benefit mothers and fathers but all employees. In the long term, definitely. I'm personnally much more happy to allow the female component of my team (8 people, 1 woman...) to take some time off because she's been called in urgency to get her child at home because of illness or whatever. The same stands as well for the only male component who still has young children. In the long term, I know that this flexibility and respect for personal life (whatever personal life might involve....but personal life for many people in their 30's involve youg children, that's just statistical evidence...)....will bring a better work environment and, in some way, a better fidelity and commitment by these people. Actually, indeed, the female part of my team is by far the most hard-working and productive element (/me expected, of course...:-)) This is how my work team works and, up to now, it worked. > So, concluding (and after getting a bit carried away :)), I think that > the current problems of mothers finding it difficult to get a job are > just one symptom of the more general problem. That problem is that > today's working world, the "virtues" it demands and the pressures it > exercises are drifting more and more away from humans and human needs. > (Having written that to a public list I'll probably never get a good job > again ;)) Depends. Would I have an opened position in my team, I'd nearly blindly hire you, you know..:-)...despite the high risk you represent. <cultural stereotypes monde ON> More seriously, I know about managers who consider taking the drift of preferrably hire women as a kind of investiment on the future. The "risk" of the hired people being away for some period of time is largely balanced by the much increased "fidelity" and "stability" of the very same people. Hiring someone is not only meant for an "immediate benefit". This has to be a part of a general long term plan in the enterprise human "resources" management. This is certainly yet another stereotype....but one you can play with Respecting human needs is also part of this and, thankfully, this is somethign that's really part of enterprises strategies, at least the good ones..:-) I think that, in the position where, for good or bad reasons, you have to explain your status of being a young woman seeking for a job and work against the possible reticences of interviewers....the best is probably to play on your own qualities and explain to them why it is good for them to hire the young woman that you are. You might need to play with the cultural stereotypes for this, but I always thought that changing the world often requires to play with the world's rules and twist them progressively. <cultural stereotypes mode OFF> Bleh, hard to explain all this....in a written way and not in my day-to-day languae. Hope you'll get my point and not hate me for being such a stereotyped jerk. I want my spätzle.... --
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