I appreciate hearing about your experiences. Not having had the
experience of a job interview (yet), I suppose that I did not really
know what to expect. However, the longer I have been a parent, the
more I have realized that having a family is considered an asset by
most people.

One more question in this line of thought... In Europe it is standard
practice to include your birth date, marital status, and number of
children (and their ages, in some cases) on your CV. If (for
example), there is a gap in your CV because of maternity leave (or
another family-related issue), is it appropriate in the US to broach
this issue in the job application (either in the cover letter or the
CV, i.e. by noting your family status)?

Many thanks for your opinions.
Leah

--- In scienceandfamilies@yahoogroups.com, "wapusker" <wapusker@...>
wrote:
>
> I'm in the thick of job search right now and just did one interview
> and my approach is to be very up front about having a family and
> including a photo of them in my 'about me' slide at the beginning of
> my talk. I want everyone to know I have a wonderful family supporting
> me and that makes me a better scientist and teacher not worse! My
> philosophy is that a department that won't hire me because I have a
> family is a place I don't want to be! I don't think starting a
> position with my family a secret is a good place to begin -they are
> not a liability and should never and will never be viewed as such.
>
> Best,
> Ryan
>
> --- In scienceandfamilies@yahoogroups.com, "leah.beche"
> <leah.beche@> wrote:
> >
> > I feel compelled to join this group, as my labmates and I have been
> > having these types of discussions for years!
> >
> > I, too, am interested in the response to this question, particularly
> > for women candidates. While it is technically illegal for committe
> > members to broach this subject, I find it hard to believe that they
> > would not consider a person's family situation during a search (even
> > if it is done silently by each individual), especially at a R-1
> > university. That is not to say that you would be discriminated
> > against, but I think that it is pretty difficult to say whether your
> > family situation plays a role in hiring decisions.
> >
> > A practical question for you all...If you are not obviously
> pregnant,
> > but you have a family, do you stay 100% silent about it at an
> > interview? Only bring it up if it appears that the
> department/certain
> > individuals might be amenable to it (i.e. untenured faculty with
> young
> > kids)? Or do you try to bring it up so that it isn't a big secret?
> > That is, by addressing it, you verify that it is not a big deal that
> > you have a family, you are dedicated to your profession, etc?
> >
> > cheers,
> > Leah
> >
>