Losing my job because I'm a parent

[Luaper]

Since the C-19 pandemic began I have felt that the 'new normal' is likely to include a disadvantage to parents. My employer made an early decision not to furlough any employees and offered parents the option to cut their working hours - but the expectation is still there that the same amount of work as a full time employee is delivered. As such, over the past 4 months I have worked every evening including weekends to keep up whilst still trying to give my primary age school children some structure / home school in the day and normality and fun at the weekends. It has however been pointed out at work that I am less effective than my colleagues without children because I have too many distractions and answer emails at inconsiderate times of the day.

At present that are the following protected characteristics under employment law (set out in the Equality Act); age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. I think that parenting of young children should be added to this list and would ask the reader to sign the petition below.

Ask yourself this - if you were an employer would you employ a parent knowing that whilst C-19 circulates there will be frequent school closures that mean the individual has to quarantine for 14 days? And that whilst they are quarantining they will be looking after children which will mean that they cannot effectively work from home. At present there is little to prevent employers discriminating against parents in redundancy programmes and those same individuals may find it hard to find a new job. This has a serious knock on impact on families and children and is why parents as a group need this enhanced employment protection.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/319813

Signed. I lost (had to leave) my last job as a result of having young children: My hours were changed to include working all school and bank holidays and working later than childcare was available. Other people still worked my old pattern but I apparently couldn’t due to “service need” despite the organisation priding itself on flexible working. No friends/ family locally = no way to work anymore and I had to leave with no job to go to.

Wouldn't being a parent (well mother) be included under sex discrimination as women generally do the most of the childcare?

That sounds really difficult OP. But I’m not sure about the premise of the petition.

whilst there may be some links between the two, discrimination on grounds of sex is different from discrimination of individuals because they are parents.

The petition was only published yesterday which is why it has only just started to be signed. Do sign if you agree that:

Parents of children age 11 and below to be included as a protected characteristic under equality law, so parents of young children cannot be unfairly discriminated against, particularly at work and especially for redundancy programmes as a result of the coronavirus lockdown.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/319813

While I totally agree that working parents have had it much harder than many of their child free colleagues, discrimination against parents, 'single parent' should definitely be recognised as a protected characteristic. If there are two of you then you should be able to work as a team to cover childcare needs (though I realise the reality is often very different). But a single parent is really up against it, especially if they have no childcare support from the ex or family nearby to help. Or does that come under indirect sex discrimination (as it mostly affects women)?

I agree with posters who say this is a sex discrimination issue.

Women are the primary carers of children, women have picked up the burden of home schooling in most households, women are discriminated against at work all the time because of pregnancy (or potential pregnancy), childcare etc.

Being a parent doesn't have the same detrimental effect on men in the workplace. It's being a woman that causes the discrimination, not being a parent.

Although I appreciate that it's hard for parents I don't think expecting others to pick up what you aren't doing because you're a parent is a workable solution.

Even if it was considered discrimination, what type of reasonable adjustments would you suggest?

It’s not discrimination against parents if employees aren’t doing they work they are paid to do. People can’t expect to be paid the same as before the pandemic if they aren’t working the same amount. It was fair enough for a time, but employers can’t be expected to bear the brunt indefinitely.

It doesn’t sound like the problem you describe with your workplace is discrimination, it seems more like they haven’t accepted that if they employ you for fewer hours, then you will do less work. That’s a different problem.

Not happy at all with sex discrimination. This is a parenting issue not a women’s issue.

Not happy at all with sex discrimination. This is a parenting issue not a women’s issue.

I agree with this. Also agree that the issue is your workplace cutting your hours but expecting you to do the same amount of work, a seperate issue. Also unless someone is a single parent, their partner can help, but many families settle for the fact that the woman is the one to take the brunt of childcare and struggle through balancing it all. That isn't inshrined in law.

People become parents as much as women become mothers. Also agree it's not a sex discrimination issue. Lots of women have been able to work as normal throughout the pandemic because their partner has managed the childcare. Those fathers could be affected in the same way as you by their employers.

So, you reduced your working hours but still worked over your full time hours? That’s a boundary issue surely if you’re working more hours than you’re contractually bound to.

I think working parents have it hard (I am one) but I don’t think the things you describe are about discrimination as such. Of course your work will be affected if you also have to care for your kids - it’s not discriminatory to say so.

Not all parents have a primary role in caring for their kids, as such I think that kind of legal protection would be completely unworkable. I can just see the line of Disney Dads lining up to claim protection from redundancy due to seeing their kids once a month.

You've not mentioned your children's father? If he's not pulling his equal weight then you have a relationship problem which your employer is not responsible for. I know people say it's a woman who is primarily responsible but I don't agree that's how it should be. Protect and develop your own career rather than support the man to do this for his own.

I agree; even before Covid being a parent and working was not easy and I often felt that I was looked at negatively for taking leave when my child was ill. Now I’m not sure how we can be expected to do both without childcare but equally we can’t afford to lose our jobs.

Sorry, but although being a parent is hard it does not give you a free pass to work less for the same money and to expect your colleagues to do extra at short notice because you have a child issue. I accept that circumstances can change but generally if you choose to have a child or children you have to expect that one of you will (usually) have to sacrifice career prospects to raise them.

Would your dh also be claiming this discrimination or are you both protecting his career?

The issue is your work wanting full time work when they aren’t paying full time hours.

As to the difficulties of juggling childcare and working from home, it is an in fortunate situation all round and a really hard one to balance with home schooling. But employers are having a hard time too, and need value for money from employers.

I am not sure there’s a simplistic answer to this one that doesn’t involve harsh decisions from employers.

Also unless someone is a single parent, their partner can help, but many families settle for the fact that the woman is the one to take the brunt of childcare and struggle through balancing it all.

You think a choice you made to suit your needs (or having a shit partner) is a discrimination issue?

I agree that this is likely already considered sex descrimination. Something doesn't have to only affect one sex to be sex descrimination, it just has to mostly or disproportionately affect them. So for example I'm pretty sure that all discrimination against part time workers is also considered sex based discrimination as most part time workers are women. If parent of young children are being discriminated against, 9/10 times this is going to mean mothers are being discriminated against which is sex based discrimination. So whilst I get what you're saying, I'd rather the law was enforced in its current form before we start adding new protected characteristics.

This was an issue even before Covid. Employers have never looked kindly on parents who need sick days and flexible hours because of childcare. In most cases one parent commits to a career to provide a good salary, while the other (usually mum) takes whatever work fits around the DC.

I agree. I'm terrified at the thought of school closures/quarantine. I'm a single parent and my job cannot be done from home so if school closes then I won't be earning any money plus my employers won't be happy if I keep taking 2 weeks off. I don't know what I will do.

Being a parent doesn't have the same detrimental effect on men in the workplace. It's being a woman that causes the discrimination, not being a parent.

Why do women accept this? Why do women accept doing more of the childcare and the home schooling? Why are women discriminating against themselves. Genuine question.

We can't make strides for an equal society when we are making choices that keeps us in low paid unskilled part time jobs whilst the children's fathers make great strides in their uninterrupted careers.

COVID measures have enabled a reduction of employment rights by stealth. The 80-strong Tory majority thought it was going to have to wait for the anti-Brexit 'loss of rights' rhetoric to die down before they started dismantling them. Instead employers can do what they want, because COVID.

Why do women accept this? Why do women accept doing more of the childcare and the home schooling? Why are women discriminating against themselves. Genuine question.

Because they’d rather protect the higher salary, which is generally the man’s salary. How many times do you see women saying they need to reduce hours etc because he earns more - instead of both parents taking a bit of a hit while enabling both to build their careers at a slower rate. Women do themselves no favours here.

OP, how is your partner supporting you to be present at work during Covid?

I'm a working parent. My children are teens now, but I've always struggled with bearing the load of family and work.

My career took a knock because of having children and being part time.

Finding out I was having two babies at the same time meant that I had to strip my working hours right back as childcare was so expensive.

At one point I lost my job when work let the "part timers" go first during redundancy, even though I worked far more equivalent additional hours than my male counterparts.
It was tight with one income financially as husband's wage was average.

It's so hard. It hits women hardest. My career and pension have both taken a hit since having children.

However, I chose to be a parent, so on that grounds I don't agree it should be a protected characteristic.