To be asked for a certificate that shows that you are not pregnant when entering a job or to rise in position seems to be a hidden reality in many companies. An inadmissible and illegal practice against which certain voices have been raised in Mexico.
I do not know if in Mexico these types of requirements are more frequent than in other countries, but surely here or there you know cases of women who were asked about this topic in the job interview, maybe in a more subtle way, in the style of "Do you plan to have children?" That after having asked you before if you already had them, of course ...
Instead, none of these questions are asked of men They want to access a job. Because it is assumed that it is the woman who deals with "these issues" ... And that is why it often also seems that conciliation seems to be only a matter of them.
Harden an established norm
These curious certificates had been established in Mexico for years, but in 2007 the matter was legislated so that the certificate of non-pregnancy could not be demanded, seeking equality and non-discrimination of women. But given that the matter was not very clear to everyone, it is now proposed to punish whoever includes the law.
The Citizen Movement in the Chamber of Deputies has presented an initiative that seeks to consider workplace violence to require the presentation of non-pregnancy medical certificates to enter or advance in employment. It would also be to fire a worker or coerce her directly or indirectly so that she quits for being pregnant, for changing marital status or for taking care of minor children.
Something that unfortunately not only happens in Mexico but in many other places ... And it is that many companies do not want pregnant women and the phenomena of maternal mobbing and labor pressure are the order of the day.
But we have to remember that Motherhood should never be seen as an obstacle in the working life of women, and as much remains to be done in this regard, we must continue to claim the rights of women, pregnant women and mothers at work.
This legal tightening may make employers think twice of asking women for a non-pregnancy certificate (or a commitment). Something that seems to be a hidden reality in many places and in different fields. Surely you will sound the "contracts" that have to sign some actresses to appear on television ...
Rights allegedly achieved on paper, as there are various international treaties that prohibit dismissal due to pregnancy or maternity leave, considering it as a discriminatory act against women. But in practice they are continually thrown down.
Maternity and lactation permits that meet the desirable minimums for the well-being of the baby, permissions also for the father (according to some experts should be mandatory as they help with conciliation), leave without risk of losing your job, the flexible hours, work from home, day care centers at work ...
These are options, which we often talk about in the blog, to make it easier for women to be the same as men at work, and not to be discriminated against because they are (or simply can be) mothers. We do not want maternity to be incompatible with work, and we claim the labor rights of pregnant women.
Also the incorporation of these to the managerial positions could be an option to prevent the “bosses” from committing the abuses we are talking about, because it seems that they reconcile more with female bosses (especially if they have children: we understand each other better, and we respect each other more), although a female boss is not always a guarantee of equality.
For all this I think it is perfect to pursue and punish the request for non-pregnancy certificates in companies, as well as any type of discriminatory practices against women (and already placed, against anyone, but it seems that some have more numbers than others to suffer them ...).
