Still wondering why pregnancy seems abominable in our corporate world? For me, I may never stop wondering – or maybe till forever comes.
Just like yesterday, I still can remember how “hot cakey” I was – grabbing my choice jobs, doing stuff. I was everywhere. In fact, incorporating the appellation, “single” in my profile was a never-to-be-done-without. It just has a way of sitting pretty in there, beckoning to recruiters to come pick me. Now that I am married, I can give my right arm to recall the CVs I had sent out just to check and double check that I pruned out the ‘abominable’ tag, “married.” Abominable, I say? Yes.
As a matter of fact, an employer friend of mine confirmed this. When I asked him the same question: “Why is pregnancy abominable in our workplace?,” his answers simply ducked, going straight to the point: “You see Queen,” he started. By the Grace of God, I am an employer. First off, I look at the bio leg of the CV or profile of woman applicant just to check whether she is single or married. At the mention of “married,” I take cover – warning my HR not to send the applicant any acknowledgement let alone an interview invite. You know why? Because married women are always full of excuses. When they get pregnant? Oh you are done for as an employer. You hear stuffs like, ‘I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow.’ The next day they show up at work only for them to come up with: ‘Please sir, I would not come tomorrow because of my feet. They hurt. The doctor said I have oedema so needed to relax them.’ Sorry Queen but I can go on and on.”
Phew! I bet you didn’t see that coming. No you didn’t. Now catch this other shocker. It was my latest experience with Google search recruiters. Hmm. Okay. Let me start from the start. I had continued my job-hunting since December last two years in futility. No employer wanted me – maybe because of the abominable tags, called “married,” and “pregnant” as my employer friend had whined.
Come to my mail inbox and you would query: “Queen, abeg wetin you do?” seeing the trail of CV sent outs that threatened to reach 100 within the period of only two months. I then decided to get pregnant with my second child only to get a call from a senior friend of mine. She asked me if I were employed which I replied in the negative so she asked me to come over to Whatsapp where she intended to send me a link. She said Google Nigeria in collaboration with #FuelYourHustle sought trainers. Quickly I turned on my data, dashed off to Whatsapp where she continued and sent me the link. I clicked on it and it redirected me to a form to fill that was powered by Converge Media. I was done filling the form and an acknowledgement mail sent to me congratulating me for the form saying I qualified. “Wow!” I thought to myself, “…a job at last.” Let me save you from reading the entire drudgery of tests upon tests that were sent my way afterwards. In fact, they later came up with invites for offline tests and meetings which they claimed were the trainings. Any woman reading this can identify with how soured the first trimester of pregnancy can be. I was vomiting, stooling and drooling. I was very sick. But hey! I wanted the job. I continued attending the seminars putting the bravado that all was in order with me. Yes! I wanted the job. I was very hungry too. Contracts won’t come my husband’s way. So we were so dependent on that Google job that I would assure and reassure my husband I was good to go despite his fears and pity for me.
Brothers and sisters, I continued to go for the workshops, painstakingly observing every instruction and assignment and beating the very strict timeline until I was given the bitter pill – we can’t engage you pregnant.
It was the ‘madam’ of Google. It was in the final selection of the trainers. I stepped out when it was my turn to audition. I had barely started when madam Google who served as the HR for the programme said to me and publicly too: “Are you two?” I pretended I didn’t understand her at first, praying deep down in my heart to let go the question. But she fired again: Madam, are you pregnant? At this, I soberly answered, “yes ma.” And she went: Ah! Nooo. We can’t engage you pregnant o. This opportunity is for persons who are fit. With my mouth agape, I replied: ‘’Fit? But I am fit. I am only pregnant. I have been to all the workshops, having taken and passed all the tests. Please don’t dump me now. I have suffered for this job. The time slated for the meeting is 9am and I live in the mainland. But I didn’t mind. I would leave my house by 4:30am just to be here on time.”
I pleaded with her to reconsider her decision but she insisted there was nothing she could do. She asked me to step aside. Maybe to salve me for the moment, she later called me back to audition which I did. But that was all. I never got a call ever again. I was punished for being pregnant.
By Queen Nwabueze