Stay-at-home moms and dads could be the greatest enhancement to the workforce
By Shelly Strom, for Liveops
“Stay at home parent” isn’t likely to be the first entry on a hiring manager’s list of sources of talent. Instead, this group is most likely listed as “resumes to chuck.”
The truth is, sadly, companies are less likely to even interview, let alone hire, people who’ve been a stay at home parent. A 2018 study from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill assistant professor Kate Weisshaar found a bias against job applicants who temporarily stayed home with their children. Companies preferred “laid-off applicants who have been out of work for the same amount of time,” Weisshaar said.
“Put simply, stay-at-home parents were about half as likely to get a callback as unemployed parents and only one-third as likely as employed parents,” she said.
Overlooking stay at home moms and dads as less-than-competitive candidates is extremely unfortunate because those who have the qualifications and experience often prove to be highly dedicated top-performers.
Stay at home parents are high performers
There are handfuls of people who go out of their way to hire stay-at-home moms and dads. These leaders rave about the performance of people who identify as stay at home moms and dads.
“Work-from-home-moms are incredible – even if your target customers aren’t mothers. They know how to maximize their time, because they are moms, and know what a resource time is,” said Deeanne Akerson, who—as a stay-at-home mother of two small children—launched Kindred Bravely, a line of maternity and breastfeeding apparel. Akerson was featured in an article by Forbes in which she talked about the benefits she’s experienced in hiring people who happen to be stay-at-home parents. Read more.