Are Married Women More Marketable in Business?

Is there any relationship between marital status and marketability in business? One might find this to be an odd question, but allow me to expound for sake of discussion. In today’s ever-changing business environment, there seems to be a perception that married women are more stable than single women. Do you see any truth to this perception?

Consider this: Single women can be viewed as high-achieving, go-getters who pursue experiences in order to ascend to the next level of professional opportunity. Being single does come with certain freedoms which can make professional ascension a primary focus while living the single life. Does marriage change a woman’s professional pursuits? Does stability become more of a priority in a woman’s life after she obtains her MRS Degree?

Some professionals think so. At one of my previous employers, a groups of my colleagues and I performed an ad hoc survey which showed married women generally had longer tenure and were less likely to leave the company. I posed the same question to some of my colleagues at other companies and they too confirmed my findings. As a hiring manager, would you allow marital status to indirectly play a role in hiring candidates for open positions? Please don’t answer that question.

Fortunately, there are laws prohibiting employers from inquiring about marital status, whether a candidate has kids, etc. However, if certain information becomes available via the interview process, companies are not supposed to allow this to influence hiring decisions.

Does being married provide greater business marketability for women? Does having a spouse portray a sense of connection with other married people in business? Well…maybe. I believe there are examples to support both sides of the argument. I also believe we can expand this conversation beyond married women to include married men. Marriage could actually be an asset for both men and women because of the perceived stability factor many companies desire for people they hire.

What are your thoughts?

Kenny Pugh is a Life & Relationship Strategist, Author of ‘Can You Do It Standing Up?’, Speaker, Host of the Chat Kafe Radio Show (http://www.chatkafeonline.com), singles leader and sought-after speaker on singleness, relationships, finances and life. You can find more information about Kenny at http://www.kennypugh.com. You can follow him on Facebook at Kenny Pugh or on Twitter @mrkennypugh.