Tears or Bias?

April 7, 2008 - 11:30 AM by Stephanie

When this YNet story/blog entry came across my Inbox, I grew increasingly incensed as I read through it.

Penned by Israel-based writer Molly Green, the story is a narrative of Green’s experience of being passed over for a travel assignment by her editor and colleagues based upon the number of children she has at home (!!!!!)

This trip was mine; it was my field, my forte, and yet…while I have 8 years of seniority and tenure at my company, they sent someone who was only with us for 6 months!

The rage bottled up inside me, “How dare they not offer me this trip?” I ranted at my husband. “This is how they reward years of hard effort and dedication? Have I only imagined myself as being an integral part of the company?!”

I was inconsolable.

My husband gently suggested there must be a rational and logical reason why I wasn’t sent.

Enough was enough; I couldn’t take it any longer — I called our chief editor.

“Is everything OK, Molly?” he asked.

“No, not really”, I answered, trying to sound as calm as possible under the circumstances.

“I have been working here for 8 years. I am not going to detail all my dedication and hard work, but will come straight to the point. I’m very offended you didn’t offer to send me to cover the game convention in Italy.

This is my field, it is near and dear to my heart and I cover it professionally for our publication. I have nothing against the reporter you sent in my place, but I am with a doubt the right person for the job — so why didn’t you send me?”

Silence.

“Err, Um, I’m, ah… shocked”, my boss stammered.

He barely got the words out, “Your name came up at the staff review, and everyone agreed you were the right person to go, but everyone mentioned the problem.”

“The ‘Problem’?” I asked. “What ‘problem’?”

“The problem that you have 9 children! How could we possibly ask a mother of NINE children to leave for a 3 day business trip! We all had mercy on you and didn’t ask you to go…”

A good, nice feeling washed over me. I didn’t hear the rest. They honestly thought they couldn’t ask me to go.

While the underlying intention behind the decision is apparent, there’s a tremendous amount of room here for learning.

Regardless of a person’s personal status or the number of children he or she may have, this is bias and not okay. And it was formed by an entire roomful of people based upon their perceived notions surrounding multiple children & a mother’s role.

I would pose that households the world over – Israel included – employ hired help, nannies, grandparents, aunts and uncles, partners, husbands & friends in similar situations.

Surprising is the fact that the writer seems okay with the decision once she learns of the motive behind it.

My two shekels: A little sensitivity training could go a long way in this and similar cases. There’s some work to be done here.

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