Man Says He Was Asked His Personal ‘Stance On Abortion’ In Job Application, Sparking Debate
He should have done his research before applying.
TikTok Job seekers struggle a lot when finding jobs, from facing numerous rejections to struggling to stand out.
There are a lot of hoops to jump through when it comes to finding a new role, including facing some inappropriate questions.
A TikToker, Kyle Rehl, posted a video on his account where he shares his experience of an unfair question on his job application.
The man was asked about his personal opinions on abortion on the job application.
Rehl mentioned that he was filling out a job application and came across a question where he had to share his personal views on abortion with a minimum of 200 words.
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He said, “Can someone tell me why I was filling out this random job application and they thought it was appropriate to ask me this question?”
Rehl posted a second video where it could be seen that he was applying for a Marketing Associate position at a nonprofit, Live Action. He further mentioned that the job description doesn’t have any mentions of abortion.
Live Action is a leading anti-choice organization known for its history of doctoring undercover videos at Planned Parenthood and making false claims about the organization. So it's not entirely shocking that they would ask such a question.
However, when he scrolled to the bottom, he found out that the nonprofit organization aims to end abortion. After realizing it was an anti-abortion organization, the man filled the application humorously.
Internet users started a debate on whether such a question is considered legal in a job application.
Asking personal opinions on a topic such as abortion can feel a bit offensive, especially if it's asked on a job application. Many internet users also thought it wasn't right for a job application to have such a question.
One user wrote, “[I don’t know] what's [worse], the question or the 200-word minimum.”
Another user wrote, “No matter how u feel on the subject, that’s inappropriate to ask someone tbh. Why is that their business?”
“My old boss cornered me literally backed me up into a corner and asked me what my stance was on abortion,” another user commented.
However, many people justified the organization and claimed it was alright for them to ask such a thing as they are an anti-abortion nonprofit.
One user wrote, “If you look them up you will see why they asked the question. Pretty sure that’s pertinent information to the job description.”
Another person commented, “Live action is a pro-life nonprofit. Obviously, they will ask about abortion.”
Many other people shared similar opinions on this issue and also criticized the man for not doing enough research about the company before applying.
Asking personal opinions about abortion is quite a sensitive topic, especially if a recruiter would be judging the candidate based on their answers.
However, it isn't illegal to ask such a question on a job application.
One person also commented about it. They wrote, "Privately owned companies can ask things like this. But it’s not illegal to ask your views on it. It would be illegal to ask if you have had one."
However, people still felt that such a question was inappropriate and should not have been asked on a job application.
Sanika Nalgirkar is a news & entertainment writer at YourTango based in Seattle, Washington. She has a master's degree in Creative Writing from the University of Washington. You can check out some of her writing on her website.