Date of birth question on job application form

Op - leave it blank on the form. You are not obliged to answer every question. Its a job interview not an interrogation. They can ask you if they really want to know.
 
Wheather it's illegal or not you will have to fill it in if you want the job!
 
they want to check out if you have any prior convictions and the garda computer(which i assume will be used illegally) likes to have a dob
 
what happens if you lie about your age ? especially if they are not entitled to ask for it anyway ????
 
That sounds like a serious case of the world gone mad...two people present for a job. One will be available to do the job, the other will not as she'll be on maternity leave but a potential employer can't make a decision based on these facts?

you can't discriminate because someone is pregnant. I was recently offered a job from a panel I have been on for a while. Job is due to start in April and I am due to start maternity leave in April. I turned the job down but only because I have gotten a promotion since being placed on that panel. If I was to accept the job they would have had to hire me for a week and then I would have gone on (fully paid) maternity leave.
 
you can't discriminate because someone is pregnant. I was recently offered a job from a panel I have been on for a while. Job is due to start in April and I am due to start maternity leave in April. I turned the job down but only because I have gotten a promotion since being placed on that panel. If I was to accept the job they would have had to hire me for a week and then I would have gone on (fully paid) maternity leave.

Was it a civil service job subsidised by the taxpayers ? I can see how a pregnant woman can impose extra burdens on a business which it may not be able to afford. What happens then if it is a private business operating in the unforgiving real world ? Isn't the bottom line of profit versus losses a justification enough for choosing an employee especially for a small business which cant afford to pay people for nothing ?
 
Nope not a civil service job a public service job. Did you know that civil service staff actually pay taxes too as do public service staff? we also pay the fullest amount of PRSI. Small business and private businesses don't have to pay people maternity leave and many don't. I was the most qualified person for the job and therefore of course I was offered it. In the long run maternity leave doesnt last forever and at the end of the day the employer still ends up with the best employee at the end of it all.

You wouldnt expect a company not to hire a man whose wife was pregnant even though he will be entitled to unpaid parental leave as a result which means a replacement might have to be hired to replace him. If companies don't pay maternity leave they have to hire replacements for the women then there is little difference. Both people are entitled to their full annual leave entitlement despite the need for a replacement. Fact is that many employers hold it against female employees for getting pregnant. A friend of mine was asked if she was aware that they would have to hire a replacement when she was on her baby holiday and that they would have to pay this person for holidays as well as give her holidays. They would have to do the same for a man taking parental leave. Personally in my job I have had my maternity leave referred to as my "career break" and have been denied training this year due to the fact that I'm going on this career break. Men dont get the the same level of hassle about the whole thing.
 
Men dont get the the same level of hassle about the whole thing.

Because parental leave/paternity leave for men is virtually non-existent in this country. I can understand Stir Crazy's point...regardless of the legalities of it pregnant employees can be a hassle for SME's. For the owner manager of such a company it must be common not to give the job to the pregnant woman purely on the basis that she's pregnant, and then dress it up as something else. It may not be right, but it's understandable. Without meaning to offend anyone, how shall I put this...the female reproductive system does cause quite a bit of grief in the workplace. From maternity leave to random days off for "female problems", I'm not at all saying it's right or wrong but it is a cost/problem for employers.
 
Because parental leave/paternity leave for men is virtually non-existent in this country.
men are entitled to 14 weeks parental leave in all employment in Ireland per child. This is unpaid leave but it is still an entitlement. How is it any different to unpaid maternity leave which most women get from SMEs? My husband gets 5 days paid paternity leave from his employer and he is not a public sector employee. In fact I think public sector employees only get 3 days.By your logic any women of childbearing age shouldnt get a job because they might need to go on maternity leave at some stage in their working lives.And women are not entitled to time off for female problems. What a stupid thing to say. There are such things as mens problems too you know.
 
I heard of a case where an obviously pregnant woman presented for interview. The interviewer, whom she knew, congratulated her. The woman didn't get the job but subsequently took a successful equality case on the grounds that as her pregnancy was commented on at the interview, she was effectively discriminated against on grounds of gender.

I understand that this is the law, but as the interviewer was somebody who knew her, is this really so surprising? Surely she was obviously pregnant if the interviewer said something about it. She really didn't make a good ethical decision here, regardless of the legality of the situation.
 
How is it any different to unpaid maternity leave which most women get from SMEs?
It's different because many (most?) women in that situation would qualify for Maternity Benefit.
By your logic any women of childbearing age shouldnt get a job because they might need to go on maternity leave at some stage in their working lives.And women are not entitled to time off for female problems. What a stupid thing to say. There are such things as mens problems too you know.
Personally I think that you are warping JR's logic there but maybe he would agree with you in spite of what I think?
 
men are entitled to 14 weeks parental leave in all employment in Ireland per child. This is unpaid leave but it is still an entitlement. How is it any different to unpaid maternity leave which most women get from SMEs? My husband gets 5 days paid paternity leave from his employer and he is not a public sector employee. In fact I think public sector employees only get 3 days.By your logic any women of childbearing age shouldnt get a job because they might need to go on maternity leave at some stage in their working lives.And women are not entitled to time off for female problems. What a stupid thing to say. There are such things as mens problems too you know.

In my opinion the 3 days paternity leave is totally inadequate but that's a different argument. Of course I don't agree with your last assertion...that is not what I was saying. I do not believe it was a stupid thing to say either. Without discussing the rights or wrongs it's fair to say that maternity leave can be a serious burden for SME's and it would be human nature for an owner manager to consider it when faced with a pregnant woman applying for a job, despite that being illegal. My own view is that maternity/paternity leave are to the benefit of society and should therefore be completely subsidised by the State with reasonable period for both fathers and mothers. As for your comment on "womens problems" again I think you're being unrealistic and unfair. I'm not getting into the rights or wrongs, all I will say is that in my experience "womens problems" have accounted for a lot of absences and that is a cost SME's are having to deal with also. Take today for example...if any of the guys I know are out sick most peoples response is "ah sure they're still a mess after the rugby". A woman on the other hand only has to mention certain issues and nobody bats an eyelid. Let me restate that discrimination of any kind is totally wrong. However for some SME's who are struggling to stay afloat some laws and deals with unions are so onerous they may put people out of business.
 
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