Promotion denied due to pregnancy?

[kylesmom]

Hi everyone :wave:

Looking for some opinions on what you think:

Found out a position opened up in my company that I am 100% qualified for and applied for. My immediate boss was very happy I applied for it and even stated he thought the position would be perfect for me.

He then passed it along to the (hire up boss) and when I inquired about what the (hire up boss) said My main boss brushed me off like I wasn't even going to be considered for the position anymore, which is pretty obvious. He said he is waiting to hear back from another "guy" about the position and then kept quiet.

I want to say something to the (Hire up boss) and plead my case as to why I would be perfect for the position which I know I am.

BTW this company is an all male running the show company..... Which is another reason why I feel I will not be suggested for the position.

Thanks for all and any responses.

 

[Tigerlily01]

There are laws against discriminating against you due to pregnancy. If you are the best qualified, I'd follow up on it for sure!

 

[slg76]

It is illegal to deny you a promotion due to pregnancy. You could look into the labor laws or talk to an employment attorney. Trouble is that it will be very hard to prove that this is the reason you didn't get the promotion. Unless the big boss was stupid enough to put it in an email or something. Or unless he mentioned it to your boss and your boss will stick up for you. Good luck!

 

[slg76]

I had a similar labor law situation (due to illness not pregnancy). Sometimes a threat of action will go a long way if it is backed up with legit information and delivered in a respectful way.

 

[ashleyg]

There are laws against discriminating against you due to pregnancy. If you are the best qualified, I'd follow up on it for sure!

Agreed!

 

[kylesmom]

Thanks ladies!
I asked the "big boss" about the position and said: I heard you were shocked I wanted to apply? Can I ask why? he said well we need someone ideally with technical background in the field. ((Cough)) ((Cough)) BULLSHIT! The position says: Preferred strong technical background. It is the only thing I don't have "strongly" only "moderate" background in..
Sigh.... Trust me it is because I am either a woman or pregnant. Go figure.
Can't really say anything about discrimination since that's his excuse..

 

[emalou90]

It's a shame really.
But it's not an obvious shun because you are a woman or a pregnant woman, so if they choose the other person they could say because you aren't as qualified etc or like they've said because they want a more technical background.
They can pass it off as something unrelated to pregnancy in which case, you cant do much about it.
If you've been a long term member of the team then you have as much right as anyone else to be considered but still doesn't mean you're a shoe in to win the position xx
It's a shame in such a male dominated world!

 

[mamaduke]

It kills me that this is happening. Technical background can be brought up to speed with training, and if you happen to be one of those that learns quickly, then that really shouldn't be a factor. (Especially if you have a relatively "moderate" background and they prefer a little more.)

Being pregnant in the tech world is tough too. One of my friends just had her 3rd baby, and she's out on maternity leave for awhile. While I know some of her peers understand what's going on - especially those who are dads, I also know some of her peers who judge her horribly for having kids while juggling a career. Forget that my friend has patents in super technical categories (artificial intelligence and machine learning, if I remember correctly). Forget that she has a degree in this. The ones who judge her horribly only see work that they have to take on while she's out.

It sucks, but if you really want the job, reach out to them again and make it a point that you meet the qualifications and that you're willing to go the distance to get the technical knowledge that they're looking for and can ramp up in little to no time.

Take it from me, on my 2nd pregnancy in the tech field, doing everything I can to not only stay ahead in the field but also doing what I can to retain my world expert ranking (1 of 300 of me in the world, 1 of 15 women with this recognition) while figuring out what life will be like juggling 2 kids and a career. My saving grace is that I'm married to an IT guy who pushes me to be the best techie/wife/mom that I can be. His encouragement fuels my self-confidence, which gets me to stand up for myself and get me to where I am today.

If you want it, fight for it!

Here's hoping things work in your favor!

 

[Emmajs01]

This happened to me in my current job .... the promotion was given to someone who I trained and i was actually told the reason I didn't get the job was because i was pregnant and needed to concentrate on that!!
The only reason I didn't take it any further is because i wouldn't have taken the job anyway, and that i will be cutting my hours down to part time when i come back off maternity leave ..... i was just shocked that they came out and told me the honest reason as they could a gotten into a LOT of trouble if i had of taken it further!