sick child, a woman’s domain

A sick child. Just a woman’s problem?

Equality – for some people, the word alone is enough to get their blood boiling. In 2021, a year that marks “50 years of women’s suffrage in Switzerland”, this topic is highly relevant and still gives rise to some heated discussions.
But is everything really just the men’s fault?
Or are we women – CEOs, line managers, HR officers and ordinary employees – part of the problem, too, regardless of the sector?

Let’s be honest: When interviewing a woman, ergo a mother, how many of us have secretly asked ourselves the question, who’s going to look after her children if they get ill? Have we even gone so far as to try and find out what her childcare arrangements would be in such a case? In this moment, the woman sitting opposite us is reduced to the sole function of mother. And to cap it all, if she’s also divorced or a single parent, our concerns start to come thick and fast. How can we really remain objective in such a situation? This is a topic that we all have to address from time to time, whether we’re a man or a woman, a line manager or a HR officer. At the end of the day, the interests of the employer lie in finding the best possible person for the job, someone who is always available and certainly won’t be missing work because of sick children.

A few weeks ago, our daughter brought another virus home from nursery. Once again, I was able to thank my lucky stars that my husband shares the childcare with me. However, I was genuinely shocked to realise that, in all my years as a business owner, line manager and HR officer, I have never asked a man about the issue of caring for a sick child. Would I even employ someone in my company who saw looking after a sick child as something his wife has to deal with, i.e. something that solely concerns women? For me, the answer is clear – no, of course not. Such an employee would definitely not fit in with us and our ethos and could never be thought of as the right candidate, however qualified he was.

This may sound harsh to some, but I can honestly say that, like many others, I’ve spent years “putting my foot in it” with regard to this topic and I want to avoid this in the future. However, I also know that this will be a steep learning curve for me.

Do you have any questions on this topic or do you, too, need support to avoid putting your foot in it?

At Belana GmbH, we look forward to getting to know you and are available to you and your employees as a professional partner at any time. Let us guide you through the HR maze.