Job interviewer asked if she was planning to get pregnant. She stood up and walked out — but she wasn't done yet

Women have always faced discrimination since they entered the workplace. A female candidate in her mid-20s who goes by u/wisewhaleshark on Reddit shared an unbelievable experience at an interview for a marketing position at a non-profit organization. Well, after an hour into the recruitment process, the interviewer asked if she was planning to get pregnant after joining the job. Baffled, the woman immediately opted out of the role and shared the bizarre incident on June 22, 2026.

Overstepping boundaries

The author knew she was overqualified for the role, but she gave the interview anyway because the company offered decent pay. However, her experience turned out to be awful when the interviewer kept droning on about previous employees instead of discussing business. The person informed the author that they had been looking for someone to fill this specific role after an employee left after only a year. Then, the one who replaced the previous employee also went on maternity leave after a while and never returned.

"They then went on to say, 'You're not planning to get pregnant and leave, right? We reward people who stick around for the long haul,'" the woman recalled the interviewer's question. Disgusted and shocked by the interviewer's audacity, the woman withdrew her application. That was the first time such a thing had happened to her, and she wanted to know if she could report it somewhere. "...or should I just move on with my life and count my lucky stars I got an honest preview into what this workplace looks like?" the woman asked.

Gender bias at work 

As mentioned, just like the author, several women face discrimination in their workplaces. A 2017 Pew Research Center survey revealed that 25% of women were paid less than men for the same job, 23% were treated as if they were incompetent, and 15% reported receiving less support from superiors than men for the same work. Additionally, a Bipartisan Policy Center survey with Morning Consult found that 20% of mothers experienced pregnancy discrimination at the workplace, and 1 in 4 women have considered quitting their jobs because of a lack of proper support and pregnancy discrimination.

'Such a red flag'

Meanwhile, netizens advised the author to report the incident to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and pointed out that the question was inappropriate. u/cocoa_eh wrote, "I work in HR, and I hate when leadership or people in general make comments about women getting pregnant and taking a leave of absence. Like my goodness. If your whole business is going to collapse or productivity is going to decline significantly due to the absence of one person, then you do not have the right staffing model in place." Similarly, u/MingosMom commented, "Run! This is so illegal, and even if it wasn’t, it was completely inappropriate. Yes, a deep red flag. Do not work there."

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