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When I apply for a job and it asks for sexuality/etc at the end, why is that? Does it

  • 25-04-2021 7:38pm
    #1
    wherearewe45
    Registered Users Posts: 204 ✭✭


    Just curious why they ask my sexuality (I'm gay) so does that mean it works in my favour to declare that as I'd have a tiny edge as it'd help their pool of diversity in the company.


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Comments

  • #2
    Kewreeuss
    Registered Users Posts: 744 ✭✭✭Kewreeuss


    Does it actually say sexuality? Really?
    Or does it say sex, when it would be better to say gender.
    In a company that has employees from all over the world, the gender question indicates the the correct pronoun to use.


  • #3
    wherearewe45
    Registered Users Posts: 204 ✭✭wherearewe45


    Kewreeuss wrote: »
    Does it actually say sexuality? Really?
    Or does it say sex, when it would be better to say gender.
    In a company that has employees from all over the world, the gender question indicates the the correct pronoun to use.

    Definitely sexuality, saw it on a recent application and I've been wondering about it since but I have seen it before. I've no problems answering questions like that, I'm just curious


  • #4
    gameoverdude
    Registered Users Posts: 6,317 ✭✭✭gameoverdude


    They actually asked that on an application form!? Minefield! Jebus. I'd keep well away from that company.


  • #5
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 1,344 ✭[Deleted User]


    Can't believe that.....what right ( or difference could it make) does a prospective employer have to ask ( or even consider asking) such a question???? Surely, they'd be leaving themselves wide open to any number of potential lawsuits.... just say Mary gets the job, & she's gay, surely every heterosexual ( or trans, fluid etc.) Candidate could / would have legitimate grievience assuming they all equality qualified


  • #6
    ari101
    Registered Users Posts: 2,835 ✭✭✭ari101


    Sometimes information that could be considered sensitive is requested for 'diversity measuring/monitoring', but companies generally say if they ask for this reason. I believe the idea is to allow them to ensure hiring practices are not discriminatory.


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  • #7
    Montage of Feck
    Registered Users Posts: 3,483 ✭✭✭Montage of Feck


    I can't believe any company would ask such a question, surely they would leave themselves wide open to a discrimination case.

    🙈🙉🙊



  • #8
    gauchesnell
    Registered Users Posts: 938 ✭✭✭gauchesnell


    Kewreeuss wrote: »
    Does it actually say sexuality? Really?
    Or does it say sex, when it would be better to say gender.
    In a company that has employees from all over the world, the gender question indicates the the correct pronoun to use.

    sexuality doesnt indicate gender. Also gender doesnt indicated your prefered pronoun.


  • #9
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users Posts: 81,055 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    M


    I've seen race and ethnic background asked on job applications, usually an optional question to answer with a spiel attached saying they like to have on record a breakdown of how many they have interviewed from different backgrounds.


  • #10
    gameoverdude
    Registered Users Posts: 6,317 ✭✭✭gameoverdude


    Slightly off topic in a way, but I remember one application form I was to fill out for job was "my religion " options were "catholic/ protestant " closed the tab on the browser. Back to the OP, if it gets to the stage you get interviewed by the manager, I'd very much hope your sexuality doesn't count.


  • #11
    drunkmonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 28,069 ✭✭✭✭drunkmonkey


    I thought that was illegal or if not illegal can leave the employer wide open to litigation, I was warned about not doing anything like that when recruiting by the enterprise board.
    Is this in Ireland?


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  • #12
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    ari101 wrote: »
    Sometimes information that could be considered sensitive is requested for 'diversity measuring/monitoring', but companies generally say if they ask for this reason. I believe the idea is to allow them to ensure hiring practices are not discriminatory.

    Second. It’s usually for diversity quotas.


  • #13
    kathleen37
    Registered Users Posts: 810 ✭✭✭kathleen37


    It's very common. No one has to answer if they'd rather not.


  • #14
    Kewreeuss
    Registered Users Posts: 744 ✭✭✭Kewreeuss


    gauchesnell wrote: »
    sexuality doesnt indicate gender. Also gender doesnt indicated your prefered pronoun.

    That’s why I asked if the form said sexuality or sex.
    In the OPs context, A lot of times forms said sex when gender was intended.
    If a form says sex, it generally wants you to indicate whether you are male or female, at least until recently, so that if your first name was Ekundayo or Li jing or Salwa you know to use him his or she hers. More recently I have found and I admit I only have two examples, that that people have advised HR that they use they/them no matter what their ID says.

    So I do think gender, written on employment records gives a good indication of the pronouns to use, unless otherwise advised.

    Of course. Sexuality is not the same as gender.
    If I got a form with sexuality written on it, I would ignore it. Is that information collected in Ireland?

    UK and France get around it by using it for gender quotas and to monitor discrimination.
    Race and religion in Ireland should not be asked on forms, but the anti discriminatory thing can be used to gather it.

    I agree with previous post to mine. Don’t answer if you don’t want to


  • #15
    OscarMIlde
    Registered Users Posts: 730 ✭✭✭OscarMIlde


    gameoverdude wrote: »
    Slightly off topic in a way, but I remember one application form I was to fill out for job was "my religion " options were "catholic/ protestant " closed the tab on the browser. Back to the OP, if it gets to the stage you get interviewed by the manager, I'd very much hope your sexuality doesn't count.

    Saw that before when applying for a post in Queens. They said it was for diversity reasons, but I was still fairly suspicious about it. Declined to answer it as I consider myself an atheist despite being raised Catholic.


  • #16
    belfe
    Registered Users Posts: 66 ✭✭belfe


    Quite common for what I've seen, more in American companies than in European ones.

    Is for statistics, and your answers are anonymous if the implementation has been correct (otherwise it could be illegal), but you're free not to answer that question. I'd never answer these type of questions for the company, even if I understand why they are there, that is having a source of data that will expose if there is any discrimination, from the employee side we don't know who receive the data and what use do they intend for this information.


  • #17
    gameoverdude
    Registered Users Posts: 6,317 ✭✭✭gameoverdude


    kathleen37 wrote:
    It's very common. No one has to answer if they'd rather not.


    It's in no way common!


  • #18
    gameoverdude
    Registered Users Posts: 6,317 ✭✭✭gameoverdude


    OscarMIlde wrote:
    Saw that before when applying for a post in Queens. They said it was for diversity reasons, but I was still fairly suspicious about it. Declined to answer it as I consider myself an atheist despite being raised Catholic.

    No religion myself. And you guessed the right area of the world.


  • #19
    AndrewJRenko
    Registered Users Posts: 28,304 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    wherearewe45 wrote: »
    Definitely sexuality, saw it on a recent application and I've been wondering about it since but I have seen it before. I've no problems answering questions like that, I'm just curious

    Is this in Ireland? What kind of organisation and role?


  • #20
    Daragh1980
    Closed Accounts Posts: 118 ✭✭Daragh1980


    Anytime I meet someone from the North, I always ask if they’re Catholic or Protestant.


  • #21
    drunkmonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 28,069 ✭✭✭✭drunkmonkey


    AndrewJRenko wrote: »
    Is this in Ireland? What kind of organisation and role?

    I'm not believing this at all, the story the enterprise board told me was that a man had applied for a job and didn't get called for an interview, they also applied with the same qualifications and experience as a woman and got called for an interview and successfully sued, it was a public service job if I remember correctly.
    There's no way you'd start interviewing and get into written gender questions, any straight person could cry fowl in this case if the job was given to one of the LGBTQI community.


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  • #22
    Pandiculation
    Closed Accounts Posts: 309 ✭✭Pandiculation


    The only time I’ve encountered it was on a U.K. public owned organisation’s application process and I found it a bit weird tbh and I don’t really like that level of personal information being stored.

    I don’t mean to sound paranoid but, just look at the political swings the US went through. Would you really want your sexual orientation or religious beliefs on a database in a red neck state for example?

    I’m not saying that’s an issue in 2021 Ireland or that It’s likely to be in the future, but you can see how politics can swing and go weird over a decade or so in a lot of other places.

    And take a look at how this managed to leak in a data breach. Anonymised data? Yeah?

    From a data leak in 2012:

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/aug/06/nhs-trust-fined-data-security
    A health body has been handed a six-figure penalty after publishing sensitive personal details of more than 1,000 NHS staff on the internet.
    Employees ... found details of their sexual orientation and religious beliefs were published online, alongside their name, date of birth, pay scale and national insurance number. It did not contain any patient or clinical data, the trust said.


  • #23
    kathleen37
    Registered Users Posts: 810 ✭✭✭kathleen37


    gameoverdude wrote: »
    It's in no way common!

    Apologies. It's very common in the Tech industry.


  • #24
    AndrewJRenko
    Registered Users Posts: 28,304 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    kathleen37 wrote: »
    Apologies. It's very common in the Tech industry.

    No, it's not - not in Ireland.

    Are you in Ireland?


  • #25
    wherearewe45
    Registered Users Posts: 204 ✭✭wherearewe45


    kathleen37 wrote: »
    Apologies. It's very common in the Tech industry.

    Is it just for statistical purposes, or could it help/hinder my interview chances?


  • #26
    cee_jay
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 7,920 Mod ✭✭✭✭cee_jay


    gameoverdude wrote: »
    Slightly off topic in a way, but I remember one application form I was to fill out for job was "my religion " options were "catholic/ protestant " closed the tab on the browser.

    This is par for the course in Northern Ireland

    https://www.equalityni.org/ECNI/media/ECNI/Publications/Employers%20and%20Service%20Providers/FECodeofPractice@09-07.pdf


  • #27
    JayRoc
    Registered Users Posts: 1,567 ✭✭✭JayRoc


    If an interviewer asked a woman whether she planned to have kids, HR would have a heart attack.

    What company would be so daft as to ask a potential employee about their sexuality, and in writing too???
    I've never heard of such a thing


  • #28
    JayRoc
    Registered Users Posts: 1,567 ✭✭✭JayRoc


    OscarMIlde wrote: »
    Saw that before when applying for a post in Queens. They said it was for diversity reasons, but I was still fairly suspicious about it. Declined to answer it as I consider myself an atheist despite being raised Catholic.

    It's the old joke about the Irish Atheist: "Yeah, but are you a catholic atheist or a protestant atheist?".


  • #29
    Ice Storm
    Registered Users Posts: 938 ✭✭✭Ice Storm


    I have seen this before and didn't think it was uncommon so I'm surprised at the reaction here.

    In my experience, questions of this nature are optional or there is a 'prefer not to say' option.


  • #30
    CrabRevolution
    Registered Users Posts: 2,796 ✭✭✭CrabRevolution


    I've never seen it in any job application I've encountered.

    I can only picture it as part of some "diversity" initiative, and even then it'd be included in an optional addendum to the main application. Something along the lines of "Thank you for applying. At X inc. we value all our applicants and are always keen to learn best we can serve them. Would you mind filling in this optional survey, all results are anonymous, it has no bearing on your application etc. "


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  • #31
    cloudatlas
    Registered Users Posts: 3,709 ✭✭✭cloudatlas


    gameoverdude wrote: »
    It's in no way common!

    If you are applying for jobs in HEI universities in the UK it is common they submit reports to the Athena Swan Framework to show how they are creating inclusive environments i.e. environments that people from different backgrounds want to work in. 'Athena SWAN is a charter established and managed by the UK Equality Challenge Unit in 2005 that recognises and celebrates good practices in higher education and research institutions towards the advancement of gender equality: representation, progression and success for all'.


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