Career vs. Childbearing

Last week, I did a post about Candace Parker’s surprise pregnancy announcement. She’s only 22 and would seem to have plenty of tme to concentrate entirely on her career before having kids. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, Candace Parker is not alone.

After decades of women delaying childbirth longer and longer to begin successful careers, things may be changing. For the first time since the government has been keeping records on this, the average age at which women have their first child declined.

Some of the probable reasons are increased concern about one’s biological clock, the population’s increase in Hispanics who start families sooner, the experience of a generation of women parents who struggled mightily to balance career and family, the current generation’s belief that they can have both a career and family on their own timetable, and the desire for children to be born while grandparents are still alive and active.

This change in attitude among younger women doesn’t change the law. Pregnancy discrimination is unlawful. So, you can’t ask a young female about her plans to have children. You can’t take adverse action against an employee who becomes pregnant. You can’t require a pregnant employee to take a leave of absence after so many months of pregnancy. If you’re covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act, a qualified employee could be eligible for up to 12 weeks of leave in connection with the birth of a child.

If Candace Parker is the face of a new trend among younger females, the number of younger women entering your workforce could decline. From both a practical and legal standpoint, you may have to be willing to allow women to begin a career at an older age than is now the case.