“This made me switch to a career that I hope will be more welcoming, even though it means I’ll earn less money.”
I’ve worked for 15 years and am now going back to grad school this fall. At work, I was treated like a child and micromanaged by female middle managers who had young children when I made mistakes. My coworkers with kids thought their time off was more important than mine. Luckily, I wasn’t asked to take on extra work for them.
I was open about being childfree by choice at work. Although no one said anything directly to me about being childfree, I felt they talked about me behind my back. After I told people at a finance job that I didn’t have kids at a staff meeting, I was suddenly laid off after 4 months of working there. I believe it was because the boss, a big Elon Musk fan by the way, wanted to replace me with someone who had kids—and that’s what happened. I fought back with a lawyer’s help and settled the case for six figures. I also had to sign an NDA, which is why I’m not able to use my real name here.
I’ve faced a lot of unfair treatment as a result of being an openly childfree woman, which has been harder for me than for my husband, whose career has gone unscathed. This made me switch to a career that I hope will be more welcoming, even though it means I’ll earn less money.
I hope more childfree women will fight against unfair treatment at work, get a lawyer if they’re laid off (never take severance!), and report any mistreatment. It’s important to know and stand up for our rights.
Helping childfree people and parents work better together starts with open, inclusive conversations about the challenges we're all facing. Find out how we can help.
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