Does Gender Matter In Interviews? Women Tell Us Their Stories. [#WomenOnTheMove]

In our weekly Twitter Chat, #WomenOnTheMove, we discussed with our readers whether gender in interviews ever comes up, and if yes, what hassles have they faced. 

In our weekly Twitter Chat, #WomenOnTheMove, we discussed with our readers whether gender in interviews ever comes up, and if yes, what hassles have they faced. 

While navigating through the workforce, women often come across difficult situations. Whether it is facing sexual harassment at the work place; being judged for their work commitments based on their domestic responsibilities; employment discrimination or personal questions during job interviews, women have repeatedly, irrespective of their age group, been facing difficult situations, time and again.

So, in a job interview, is the gender of the candidate more important than the qualifications, skills and the previous work experience? As long as the candidate is committed to his/her work, how relevant are gender biased questions? Do men face a similar predicament as women?

We tried to find out the answers of these questions and many more in our weekly Twitter Chat. This is what our readers had to say.

Questions prying into the personal lives of women especially their marital status!

Some questions are direct:

And then there were some that were more subtle and implied:

We were curious whether men also face personal questions!

Women grilled on ‘baby plans’ too

Are men asked this question as well? If women are mothers, men are fathers too, isn’t it? 

By putting women on a pedestal for multi-tasking, are we covertly asserting gender roles?

Do women ask such questions too?

Given that all of us buy into patriarchal norms to a varying extent, and that women often need to buy into the ‘old boys’ club’ by espousing such attitudes, it wasn’t surprising that people had experienced such questions from both men and women. Some also reported women bosses giving them a harder time at work.

Clearly, interview questions need a complete make-over!

If you have any thoughts do let me know by commenting on the post – share your experiences too, if you have faced such questions at job interviews.

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About the Author

Jyotishree Mohanty

A part time backpacker, an accidental baker, a doting mother, a loving wife, a pampered daughter, an inspired blogger, an amateur photographer read more...

142 Posts | 526,574 Views

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