Infojobs survey shows that prejudice regarding the period of paid absence still persists
Provided for in Brazilian labor laws, maternity leave is still seen negatively in the labor market. This is what a survey carried out by the infojobswhich showed that 94.7% of the women interviewed believe that the theme is a “taboo”.
In the previous survey, carried out in 2022, 86% of respondents said there was prejudice in relation to the period of paid absence. That is, from the women’s point of view, in addition to the problem persisting, it has taken on new proportions.
Maternity leave consists of the absence from work, for 120 days, of an employee who has given birth to a child, without prejudice to her job or salary. The survey, carried out in March 2023, heard 879 people who identify with the female gender, aged 18 to 60, on the subject.
For 89.7% of them, the double journey is a reality, and they need to reconcile their career with carrying out domestic activities or taking care of the children. Of these, 48.7% do not have a support network or help from partners.
For Ana Paulo Prado, CEO of Infojobs, “there is still a belief that women can leave their jobs to take care of their children, especially due to the lack of a support network, and the issue is addressed in the wrong way, which impacts female employability”.
However, the survey shows that the problem is previous and manifests itself when finding a job. For women, winning an opportunity is the biggest challenge, followed by gaining recognition and professional growth when employed (26.3%).
The concern also revolves around the possibility of being disregarded in selection processes because they are mothers. In this scenario, 78.4% of the participants believe that they have already missed an opportunity because they are women.
There is also the report of 61.9% of the interviewees, who claim that they have already faced invasive situations during interviews, where the focus was not only on their professional skills.
In Prado’s view, it is understandable that the employer pays attention to the productivity of a collaborator when hiring a candidate, however, discarding a woman during interviews for being a mother or having the desire will not solve the problem.
For her, it is necessary that companies develop “policies and programs that make it possible to reconcile professional and personal life, such as a breastfeeding space, home office, flexible working hours and daycare assistance”.
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