aibu to wonder if interviews with the following questions in them can still exist in a universe where there are equal rights acts?

[lolaflores]

My friend had an interview today with a large (very large) company based in Ireland. In the course of the interview she was asked;
How many kids do you have
Are you married
How old are you
Can you manage the drive here (it is a semi rural setting)
Do you understand this is a full time job, not part time, like 9-5
Do you have child care arrangements
are you planning any more kids

seriously?
Suffice to say they did not offer her a second interview. I doubt she would have accepted it.
So when other threads give out about being a feminist and not and what have you, this makes we wonder if we have made any head way whatsoever. Or that certain improvements in some industries are taken a bit for granted and there are areas that are medieval in comparison.

It's illegal go ask some of those questions.

I dont think they are actually allowed to ask those questions anymore. I may be wrong though.

Are there different laws in Ireland about discrimination? No HR manager in UK would allow those kind of questions.
'can you manage the drive' .

Thats what I thought? But how does anyone police that? I said she ought to make some sort of a stand on it, but who the fuck do you tell?

Illegal here in England.

I don't know how she got the interview if it was an agency or through a friend or something. Suffice it to say, the company is very male based.

Illegal here in Scotland too.

It's illegal in Ireland too.

Illegal here in England but still asked I had an interview for a boys' prep school teaching post and had: do you have kids? how many? journey?you understand the hours require a lot of commitment ? also asked about my childcare arrangements - not asked about future kids though.
No I didn't get the job - but it may have been to do with the fact I am totally not sporty and they want teachers to be sports coaches too oh and not have a life apart from the school oh yes and to be men too....

I have a funny feeling that it's illegal under EU legislation. I don't know who you would tell, but there must be an Equal Opportunities Commission or something similar in Ireland. Maybe this to start with?: Equality Authority

Just letting them know what's going on helps a lot, so don't let her shrug and say that they won't be able to do anything.

The only part of that list that is definitely legal is the spelling out of the hours during which you will be required to work.

How old are you might be legal if the job requires something with an age bar (eg over 21 if they want to train you immediately for certain categories of driving), but that's unlikely to be applicable to all but a very few posts.

My DH was asked about his sickness record at an interview and felt embarrassed about disclosing a previous depressive episode. He later complained to the HR department at that company who were very grovelly indeed and sent the interviewer on a training course.

It is illegal to ask about this unless a job offer has been made. The interviewer was old skool and DH was right to have complained, so it's always worth doing!

I was asked 'do you have a boyfriend?' and 'what religion are you?' at an interview a few years back.

Is it R O I maybe different laws or something but you can't ask anybody if they are planning more children and direct childcare questions it is discrimination ,

Of course they're illegal in Ireland as well. She should make a complaint to the HR Dept. it sounds like she was interviewed by some ancient old duffer who should have been put out to grass long ago.
Was it a small family firm?

This isn't the norm in Ireland! Agree it sounds like some old idiot.

Not illegal at all, along as they ask the exact same question of men and don't discriminate on the candidates.

Risky questions to ask but not illegal

sounds like she was interviewed by some ancient old duffer who should have been put out to grass long ago.

thats what i thought some old duffer not wanting to employ women but has too

Illegal in England, I have been asked all of those questions during interviews over the last 4 years. (not all at every interview).

At a couple of interviews the blokes were total cock-ends. I told them that they weren't allowed to ask those questions and flat refused to answer them needless to say I didn't get offered the job. I actually had a job already, but was still keeping an eye out for something better, so thought they could stick their poxy jobs up where the sun doesn't shine.

If they can take the piss like that during an interview, just imagine what it would be like once you've signed the contract and are actually working for them.

should imagine it's illegal in Ireland too.

FFS, it's not illegal to ask those questions in the UK.

Bloody stupid, potentially discrimanatory, old fashioned but as long as men are asked the same questions, it's not illegal

And you report it to an Employment Tribunal if you believe that you were discriminated against.

Illegal here in France too! I recently had all those questions plus "do your dc have the same father" recently

They do, but i still didn't get the job!

I am going to secretly record future job interviews, and name and shame...

I agree with Blistory - it's not illegal, just stupid. Because if you don't get the job you could easily claim it is because they didn't like the answers they got. It is however illegal to discriminate on the basis of sex and age.

The company was chocablock full of men in a male dominated area up a hill somewhere in the back of beyond. She knew she wouldn't get the job once that short of shit started coming up, which was pretty early in the interview. I think though she put them right on a few points. I think they were even more put out that she had no farming background. So female and not a farmer. God alive!

But I want to make the point that there is still work to do in terms of equality and gender discrimination so we should not discount the ongoing work for women's rights. So there.

I agree, it's a perfect example of the everday prejudice that women suffer. But many won't agree that there's a problem.