LinkedIn adds 'stay-at-home parent' to online resumes -- why experts say that matters
The networking site is adding titles so people can denote caregiving responsibilities. Experts say employers should consider these skills when recruiting.
The networking site is adding titles so people can denote caregiving responsibilities. Experts say employers should consider these skills when recruiting.
The professional networking site LinkedIn announced it would allow users to identify themselves as stay-at-home parents, a recognition of caregivers and those who are not a part of the traditional workforce. Experts say this has the potential to destigmatize the work of caregivers both in and out of the home and level the playing field for employment.
“I think it’s really a welcome inclusion to be able to record any form of caregiving in places that are usually reserved for what’s often been referred to as productive labor versus reproductive labor,” said Corey Shdaimah, a professor of social justice at the University of Maryland, who noted that the burden of caregiving disproportionately falls on women and women of color.
LinkedIn will allow users to write “stay-at-home mom,” “stay-at-home dad” or “stay-at-home parent,” and will also begin to include options for “parental leave,” “sabbatical” and “family leave.” Many women and mothers, in particular, voiced concern about the platform’s limited options to reflect work and skill sets, especially during the pandemic, Bef Ayenew, LinkedIn’s engineering director, told CBS News. This move came after writer Heather Bolen criticized the platform’s lack of recognition for caregivers; she worked as a stay-at-home mom and did not have a way to accurately represent it on her digital resume.
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Women — especially Black women — and LGBTQ+ people have been disproportionately pushed out of the workforce since the start of the pandemic over a year ago. Roughly 3 million women have lost jobs since the pandemic began, according to Labor Department data. Experts say though LinkedIn’s choice is a step forward, it is also important for there to be options in job applications across the board to explain specific gaps in employment as the pandemic lingers on. Women have also faced the burden of online schooling for their children as well as the closure of daycares and child care centers.
LinkedIn’s changes could have the potential to normalize the work of caregivers in a way that recognizes their unique abilities, Shdaimah said. Incorporating stay-at-home caregivers on a professional page could show employers experience from organization and management to multitasking and budgeting. These traits could make caregivers an asset to workplaces that largely left them out of the discussion, Shdaimah said.
“What are the skills that it takes to run your home? Or even juggle part-time work?” Shdaimah said. “These skills are transferable skills anywhere, and they get to count.”
