another take

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Home : 2002 : May : 10

another take
By Julianne

My first thought was to be honest. But then I read this very question in a national journal and the advice given there made a lot of sense: Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you don't need a job. A prospective
employer has no more right to ask if you are pregnant than they do to ask about your marital status, religious affiliation or living arrangements. It is a form of discrimination. Women have worked hard to eliminate that kind of discrimination from the workplace. Gone are the days when an employer can justify not hiring someone because they are or may become pregnant. Since you are now

unable to hide your condition it might be best to just go to the interview and say nothing. If the interviewer brings it up you can answer, truthfully, "Yes, I'm pregnant. But I expect to work after my child is born." That should be the end of it. If it isn't, that employer is breaking the law. Won't do you much good to know that, but it's true. I also have seen my school hire more than one individual who was pregnant. If a school is hiring young women they can be sure at least one of them will become pregnant sometime during their employment. It shouldn't be the deciding factor.