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Gender discrimination against men

  • 07-03-2007 3:15pm
    #1
    omahaid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,497 ✭✭✭


    I attended a careers fair last week with a female classmate of mine (I'm male), we're both in final year I.T course. We went up to a recruiters stand and they asked us what we we're studying. When we answered, they replied with "thats great, we're really looking for women" to my friend. I did ask if I should wander off, but of course they said "no, no, of course not".

    We filled in our names and email addresses on a sheet but my friend wasn't too interested in applying (she's heading abroad after college) but as it happened I applied in January to the same company. Two days later they called her for interview, even though she didn't apply!! Am I reading this situation wrong? Or did they blatantly discriminate based solely on gender.


Comments

  • #2
    Raskolnikov
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,148 ✭✭✭✭Raskolnikov


    omahaid wrote:
    I attended a careers fair last week with a female classmate of mine (I'm male), we're both in final year I.T course. We went up to a recruiters stand and they asked us what we we're studying. When we answered, they replied with "thats great, we're really looking for women" to my friend. I did ask if I should wander off, but of course they said "no, no, of course not".

    We filled in our names and email addresses on a sheet but my friend wasn't too interested in applying (she's heading abroad after college) but as it happened I applied in January to the same company. Two days later they called her for interview, even though she didn't apply!! Am I reading this situation wrong? Or did they blatantly discriminate based solely on gender.
    Which company was this?


  • #3
    Wishbone Ash
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,038 ✭✭✭✭Wishbone Ash


    Maybe they were looking for girls to model lingerie. ;)


  • #4
    Raskolnikov
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,148 ✭✭✭✭Raskolnikov


    Well he's talking about being in IT, so I assume it's an IT company he's talking about.

    Is it legal for companies to only hire women in order to seek a more gender balanced work force?


  • #5
    Eoin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,263 ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    Raskolnikov wrote:
    Well he's talking about being in IT, so I assume it's an IT company he's talking about.

    Is it legal for companies to only hire women in order to seek a more gender balanced work force?

    Interesting question.

    "Under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 and 2004 (pdf) it is illegal to discriminate against someone on the grounds of gender, marital status, family status, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, race or membership of the Traveller community."

    More here.

    It does sound pretty clear cut, but I can't really make out the legalese on this site.


  • #6
    Gillo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,566 ✭✭✭Gillo


    Wasn't there a (relatively) similiar situation in the North a few years ago when the PSNI were actively trying to recruit more catholics to balance out the force??


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  • #7
    omahaid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,497 ✭✭✭omahaid


    Wishbone Ash wrote:
    Maybe they were looking for girls to model lingerie. ;)
    No, no lingerie :) , that I would understand. What bugged me is I didn't even get an acknowledgment of my application (which can happen, I understand mistakes happen), but my friend to be called for interview without applying (how you can call people for interviews without seeing their cv is curious) and the comment "we're really looking for women".

    If there was some attempt to not make it obvious I wouldn't say much, but to be so blatant.......


  • #8
    Eoin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,263 ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    gillo wrote:
    Wasn't there a (relatively) similiar situation in the North a few years ago when the PSNI were actively trying to recruit more catholics to balance out the force??

    Yeah, probably still going on as well - it's very common for police forces to carry out "positive discimination" / "affirmative action". You could understand it more in a police force, where it is important to have the community well represented. In the London Met Police, it does seem to extend from just recruiting, to fast tracking minorities up the career ladder though.

    There do seem to be some exceptions over here where you can discriminate against a gender, but can't see how any of them would apply to an IT role.

    omahaid - I think you were too easy on the recruiter, I would have questioned them on that. If they had told your female friend that they were looking for men, you can be sure they would have been pulled up on it.


  • #9
    omahaid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,497 ✭✭✭omahaid


    eoin_s wrote:
    omahaid - I think you were too easy on the recruiter, I would have questioned them on that. If they had told your female friend that they were looking for men, you can be sure they would have been pulled up on it.

    At the time I assumed it was a slip of the tongue, or that it was slightly exaggerated. I realise now that it was intended as it came out. Live and learn I suppose, next time it happens (if) I will pull them on it.


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