8 ms·

Having children is a nightmare. Employers (especially in tech) actively discriminate. People talk about ageism etc, but the discrimination against parents is

Having children is a nightmare. Employers (especially in tech) actively discriminate. People talk about ageism etc, but the discrimination against parents is real.

dcsommer 3y ago
Can you be more specific? Is it recruiting or advancement in-role? Obviously having kids is hard, but I haven't experienced discrimination that I know of. Sure, my career hasn't grown as quickly, but it has continued to grow. I work at Meta, which I think has great child benefits (I think thanks to Sheryl): 4 months paid leave per child, baby cash (a cash bonus per child), a child care FSA, and another annual cash pool benefit that can be used for more child care. I'm 2 kids in, and I do not feel discriminated against at all. Culturally, there are tons of parents here. It wasn't like this 10 years ago though, when we were all so much younger... Maybe there is more discrimination outside the large companies?
- lfowles 3y ago
  Companies seem to have lots of great policies from the inside but getting back in is the challenge for me, having been a stay at home dad for roughly 3 years now (also 2 kids in). Family responsibilities expand to use all available time so the time I have for grinding leetcode, working on my portfolio, or other similar activities comes late at night after the brain fog sets in. I don't know if I'd go so far as to say it's active discrimination, but the hoops aren't doing anyone any favors. Meta in particular is one company I backed away from after the recruiter helpfully suggested I study for 4-8 weeks before scheduling interviews.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
andy99 3y ago
I've seen the opposite too. People with kids are assumed to be busy outside of work hours, people without assumed to have nothing to do and get work piled on. Which is of course why the discrimination against parents happens in the first place, because they want people they can pile work on.

Having children is a nightmare. Employers (especially in tech) actively discriminate. People talk about ageism etc, but the discrimination against parents is real.

dcsommer 3y ago

Can you be more specific? Is it recruiting or advancement in-role? Obviously having kids is hard, but I haven't experienced discrimination that I know of. Sure, my career hasn't grown as quickly, but it has continued to grow. I work at Meta, which I think has great child benefits (I think thanks to Sheryl): 4 months paid leave per child, baby cash (a cash bonus per child), a child care FSA, and another annual cash pool benefit that can be used for more child care. I'm 2 kids in, and I do not feel discriminated against at all. Culturally, there are tons of parents here. It wasn't like this 10 years ago though, when we were all so much younger... Maybe there is more discrimination outside the large companies?

lfowles 3y ago
Companies seem to have lots of great policies from the inside but getting back in is the challenge for me, having been a stay at home dad for roughly 3 years now (also 2 kids in). Family responsibilities expand to use all available time so the time I have for grinding leetcode, working on my portfolio, or other similar activities comes late at night after the brain fog sets in. I don't know if I'd go so far as to say it's active discrimination, but the hoops aren't doing anyone any favors. Meta in particular is one company I backed away from after the recruiter helpfully suggested I study for 4-8 weeks before scheduling interviews.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

andy99 3y ago

I've seen the opposite too. People with kids are assumed to be busy outside of work hours, people without assumed to have nothing to do and get work piled on. Which is of course why the discrimination against parents happens in the first place, because they want people they can pile work on.