Social media users debate whether to list parental leave on a CV

A discussion has started on the social media platform Threads about whether job seekers should list parental leave in their CV, the document describing their career history. The conversation began with a post by a user named Dace, who asked how common the practice is after seeing such an entry in someone's CV for the first time. The Latvian portal LA.LV, which has long covered people's difficulties in finding work, reported on the thread.

Why some leave it out

A user named Ieva said she does not include this information and does not show it as a break either, since her employment relationship continues during leave and she sometimes still advises colleagues by phone. In her view, women with small children are still discriminated against in the labour market, so she would not want to mention it.

Another user takes a similar position: she left it out of her CV because she believes employment does not end and no pause needs to be marked. Young mothers already have a hard time in the job market, she said, and that was the main reason for not mentioning her child. If asked, she confirms that she has children.

Daniela thinks such details are unnecessary. She notes that people take longer breaks from work for various reasons, for example to travel, and do not have to explain every period in detail. According to her, nobody has ever asked her why she did not work for a number of years.

Arguments for including it

One more user does list parental leave, because otherwise it is unclear how to explain a longer period without work. Ligita added it to her LinkedIn profile because it felt wrong to make her work history six years longer when she was not performing job duties during that time. Yet saying she had no employment relationship would also be inaccurate, because she did have one, she explained.

LA.LV has also published a poll asking readers whether they would list parental leave in their own CV.