Quora question: In an interview, should you disclose that you have children?

I’ve heard some interviewers will place a family photo on their desk facing you to see if you bring up children. Or walk you to your car to look for toys or car seats. One other thing, they may say, Miss, Mrs, or Ms to start a sentence and wait for you to choose one. Don’t! Just smile and nod your head and let them continue talking.

Management: "Can you explain the gap in your resume?"

Years ago I worked for a group of Boomer attorneys, men, who at one point told me if they did layoffs, I would get laid off before the secretary because she had a family to feed. I was pretty mad about it, all her children were grown, but they still lived with her with their kids plus she had a husband who had a paycheck if my paycheck stopped coming, there would be no food in my apartment at all so I guess if you’re working for the boomer patriarchy, it could go either way.

I live in a country with generous maternity leave and I still think women are disproprtionately affected in the workplace if they have children. I think a woman's job should be HELD for her for 5 years (until the child is school age) and the right to flexible work should be a given, rather than something many have to fight for. I've seen far too many women have to quit their jobs after having babies and then struggle to find an equivalent position on returning to the workforce. However, since my country introduced more paid paternity leave, I have seen men treated poorly when they ask to take it (do you really need to do this? Can't your wife just look after the baby alone?), and even be questioned on their reproductive choices (are you planning to have any more kids?).

Higher-ups will try to fish anything out of you and your co-workers will attempt to rat you out.