A Nielsen study showed that three out of four women said they had been asked about pregnancy in job interviews.
A study carried out by Nielsen, in partnership with Opinion Box, mapped for the first time data on the concepts of mansplaining (when a man explains something to a woman, disregarding that she already knows about the topic) and maintainrupting (male interruption in the speech of a woman to the point of preventing her from expressing an opinion), in addition to harassment in the work environment.
In the case of mansplaining, 48% of the women interviewed, who were familiar with the term, reported having already witnessed this practice at work, while 54% stated that they had already suffered from maintainrupting. Regarding harassment at work, 46% of those interviewed said they had already suffered or witnessed it.
Sabrina Balhes, measurement leader at Nielsen Brasil, stated that the role of women in the job market has been limited by social constructions.
“Being a woman means being exposed to being questioned about matters unrelated to your professional competence from the moment of the interview until reaching a leadership position”, she emphasized.
The survey, called ‘They: Behaviors and Barriers’, also found that most women believe that the possibility of becoming pregnant can be used as a deterrent in job interviews.
According to the survey, 88% of respondents agree that pregnancy can be considered a reason for companies not to hire them and 75% said that this can be a reason to question their ability to work. The study also reveals that only 13% disagree with the statement, while 12% are indifferent to the matter.
In addition to the fact that pregnancy influences a possibility of being hired, three out of four women (75%) say they were asked in job interviews about having children and with whom they would leave the children to work. Among men, the rate is 69%.
The survey also shows that 23% of the interviewees believe that this type of question hindered the interview, a number that for men was only 8%.
The study was carried out between February 24 and March 2, 2022, using an online questionnaire for 1000 people from all regions of the country. Among those interviewed, 69% were women, 24% men and 7% chose not to mention their gender.
