“I hope that what seems to be the final, lasting acceptable discrimination will be ended soon.”
I have regularly been told by colleagues with children that I should have no right to ask for leave until it has been ensured that they, as parents, do not need to take leave.
I was shouted at by one colleague who did not even think that she, as a parent, should “go into the hat” to ascertain who should provide Christmas cover – she thought that I, being childfree, should volunteer to work so that those with children shouldn’t have to. I was upset and pointed out that our time is of equal value, many of us enjoy Christmas whether or not we have children and that, too, had people we wanted to spend time with.
Parents – particularly mothers – were able to arrive at and leave the office at virtually any time they pleased, citing school runs and children’s illnesses as excuses even when we knew this not to be genuine; they relied upon the childfree to turn up without fail, to cover the telephones and provide a service to our customers. When I had health issues and needed to work slightly reduced hours temporarily, I received many nasty, snide remarks from parents; upon raising these issues with management, I was told that “Ah, but you can’t touch them – they’ve got children, they’re a protected species.”
It has made me feel that I, my life, the people and things that I value are of lesser importance and that I am a second-class citizen and employee simply for being childfree. I hope that what seems to be the final, lasting acceptable discrimination will be ended soon.
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