Child Care

• Women typically find themselves taking primary responsibility for the care of their children. They are more likely to be asked about potential issues related to child care during an interview with a potential employer. This may be subtly implied during the interview process, or women may feel the need to bring up their marital and family status. Potential employers are more concerned about finding a candidate who will be able to perform the job duties at all times. A woman's child care obligations may interfere with this objective depending upon the nature of the job.
  
  

Adequate Skill Development

• Traditional female occupations typically hold less responsibility and opportunities for developing the necessary skills needed for more advanced positions. In addition, if a woman takes time off to care for a newborn child or sick parents, she interrupts her employment history. This makes her more vulnerable to being passed over for a job. Potential employers may prefer current or recent experience. If a woman has not worked in her chosen industry or field for a period of time, her current skill set may not be as recent as those who have.
  
  

Personality and Behavioral Expectations

• Women are usually culturally conditioned to behave in a less assertive manner than men. During the interview process, they may not present themselves as being on "equal status" with others. One way to overcome this is to take the initiative in shaking the interviewer's hand firmly while maintaining good posture and steady eye contact. Being hesitant or appearing submissive does not usually come across as someone who is confident in her ability to successfully perform the duties of the job. It is also important to not mention possible gender discrimination as a reason for leaving a previous employer.
  
  

Networking and Co-Worker Acceptance

• Women who are currently employed outside the home are less likely to be aware of promotional opportunities. There also appears to be some bias in accepting women in nontraditional roles. Higher paying fields and industries that have traditionally been dominated by men continue to be since both genders have trouble realizing that women are just as capable of performing the job. Women may be bypassed for promotions if their company does not openly advertise vacant positions. Some companies notice that women tend to work harder but don't complain as much about potential injustices. They also don't voice their employment-related needs as much as men.