I’m thinking this happens more often than we think. Supervisors think that because you don’t have kids, you have more free time, and therefore you are able to work longer hours, travel for work, etc.
It seems like people with children (even if their children are grown) don’t get nearly as much pressure to work overtime.
I get it: kids are a lot of work and they take up a lot of time. But does not having kids mean I’m at home bored out of my mind?
Maybe instead of going home to my kids, I’m caring for a sick relative. Maybe I have nieces or nephews to take care of. Maybe I have pets. Maybe I volunteer my time. Maybe I’m going on dates so that I one day can have kids. Or….maybe I’m going to the gym or the bar. Either way, is it really in my employer’s place to be the arbiter of whose off-time is more valuable?
As a side note, I’m all in favor of parental leave, affordable childcare, child tax credits, and the like. My question is strictly about the assumptions employers make about you if you don’t have kids. Im also well aware that those with kids are discriminated against in other ways. I’m glad we as a society are paying attention to that. But I’m talking about how those without kids are discriminated against.