>... when someone at a very early stage startup approached me....
> When the developer mentioned her pregnancy as a negative to her potential employment, I immediately froze up and didn’t know how to handle the situation. It felt like I was supposed to agree that she might not be as dedicated or invested in the role because of her status as a mother.
I have a genuine question about this - "very early stage startups" seem to be the kind of places where every single employee can make or break the company. Are pregnant women a really right fit for such setting? I am a father myself and after watching my wife over the last few years of her pregnancy + motherhood, I can see the following reasons where pregnant women and an early stage startup can be a bad mismatch:
1. Women are allowed to take 15-17 weeks of leave in CA by law (2-4 weeks before delivery, 13 weeks after). If one of your employee is unavailable for ~4 months, won't that affect an early stage startup?
2. Early stage companies seem to be a high stress environment (my first hand experience, maybe anecdotal), where as pregnant women
/ new moms are advised rest (or at least avoid stress).
I might have my own startup one day, when I can come across candidates who are pregnant. So it would be good to know if there is any flaw in my thinking, or if I have missed anything.
> When the developer mentioned her pregnancy as a negative to her potential employment, I immediately froze up and didn’t know how to handle the situation. It felt like I was supposed to agree that she might not be as dedicated or invested in the role because of her status as a mother.
I have a genuine question about this - "very early stage startups" seem to be the kind of places where every single employee can make or break the company. Are pregnant women a really right fit for such setting? I am a father myself and after watching my wife over the last few years of her pregnancy + motherhood, I can see the following reasons where pregnant women and an early stage startup can be a bad mismatch:
1. Women are allowed to take 15-17 weeks of leave in CA by law (2-4 weeks before delivery, 13 weeks after). If one of your employee is unavailable for ~4 months, won't that affect an early stage startup?
2. Early stage companies seem to be a high stress environment (my first hand experience, maybe anecdotal), where as pregnant women / new moms are advised rest (or at least avoid stress).
I might have my own startup one day, when I can come across candidates who are pregnant. So it would be good to know if there is any flaw in my thinking, or if I have missed anything.