if employers cant ask about children during an interview

[smartnurse1982]

why do they still do it? whan they say"tell me a little about yourself" i usually tell them about the school, my experience, etc but i never mention anything about my family at all. what shall i say if they ask me about family?

i konw legally they cant but lately because of the economy i see a lot of employers skimming the rules to their advantage.

[Plagueis]

Well, I have been asked in past interviews (back in the early 90s), straight up, whether I had kids or not. I answered honestly that I did (my child was under 5 at that time), and that I had childcare. I do believe that even though I mentioned I had childcare, the fact that I had a child has hurt my chances for certain jobs.

However, one interviewer even told me that he didn't hire women with children, so no job for me. (It was for a desk clerk position.) When I asked why, he stated that women are the ones who will have to miss work if a child gets sick or hurt, so he won't risk that. (I'm glad I didn't end up working for him!) I think many employers honestly believe what he believed about women with younger kids, so that's why they ask.

Of course, as someone else mentioned on this thread, do they ever ask male applicants that question?