Do I tell them I’m pregnant?

[ProfessionalStudent5]

I am applying for post docs and I’ll be starting interviews soon. I’m pregnant and I’m due in June. Most of the places I’m applying to would start in September and I’d like an October start date. Do I tell them while interviewing that I’m pregnant or wait until I get an offer? I’ve received conflicting advice about this from current supervisors. Thanks.

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[fallen625]

I would wait. You wouldn't tell them that you have a baby if baby was already here, so why tell them that you are pregnant? I know the October date might be an issue but I heard that post-docs are flexible on this matter, and honestly the one month difference won't change anything for them. It is none of their business. You are under no obligation to tell them, and I know it's terrible, but I often hear that pregnancy/nursing/kids can count against women (e.g., I am nursing now but not asking for accommodations when interviewing for internship, I have heard of several people trying to hide bumps when interviewing for jobs).. I think without telling them you have your best chance of getting the post-doc.

 

[AbnormalPsych]

You are under no obligation to disclose this. But something to consider: different places will have different ways of handling this if you get offers (e.g., variable HR nonsense, flexible start dates and hours, etc), so the benefit of disclosing is that you can factor that information into your decision.

 

[deleted480308]

You are 100% not legally required at all. I will say though it’s questionable from an honesty standpoint to apply for a known term of time that you know you won’t make just to lock the other side in.

 

[Spydra]

In addition to the other comments about not being legally required to disclose this I think it should also be mentioned that employers are not allowed to ask you if you are pregnant either. You don't mention if you are showing or not, but regardless they are not legally allowed to ask you if you are pregnant.

 

[foreverbull]

Personally, I don’t trust that employers wouldn’t have implicit bias and make a hiring decision in part (even unconsciously) based on one’s pregnancy. Even though our field gives lip service to being open to families/mothers, in practice that is more aspirational rather than a reality for some sites. It’s hard to say for sure, but you’re not obligated to tell them, so I wouldn’t say anything and possibly risk affecting your chances of being hired. Employers should be flexible about this and understand your hesitance to share it initially because we haven’t treated working women who are pregnant very well in our society, historically.

 

[str63]

As a training director, I agree that you don't need to tell them now; however, after receiving an offer, you may want to discuss a start date prior to accepting a position. I know of quite a few sites that having such a late start date could be problematic (i.e., large gaps in care between you and the previous fellow, possibility of overlap with future fellow who then might not have an appropriate workload, etc.). It's possible they could make things work, but you don't want to start off on the wrong foot with your program if you accept a position and then tell them you can't start until later.

Edited to add: We would probably be able to make this work at my site, but it would take some extra work, so I would be really annoyed if someone accepted a position and then told me later on that they couldn't start until October. I know some might have a bias about this issue, but it also wouldn't bother me if an applicant was currently pregnant. And most importantly - congrats!