POLL: Should parents be allowed to choose teachers based on sex?

In Poland, as in most of the European Union, it is in most cases illegal to advertise a job based on a person’s sex. Hence the restaurants around Kraków that are seeking waiting staff must write ‘zatrudnimy kelner/kelnerka’ or similar on their recruitment signs.

But what about parents who are seeking teachers for their children? One Polish teacher sparked a huge debate on Facebook’s Kraków Expats group, when she advertised for a female substitute.

The post prompted more than 100 comments, some in support of the parent’s right to hire a teacher based on sex and others criticising her for a sexist approach.

One group member wrote: “Replace the word female by ‘white’. You would be in trouble in a lot of countries.”

Another, rather tongue in cheek, added: “I might know somebody, however, please specify ‘female’ a bit better, because it seems rather ambiguous. Do you mean somebody who identifies as female, or do you actually require the lady in question to have full female genitalia?”

In defence of the original post, one member wrote: “I believe everyone reserves the ‘right’ to inquire and establish preferences when seeking something at a personal or family level. This is not an employment opportunity at a large or small private/public firm. Nobody should be making assumptions about discrimination, racism, etc, in this case.”

And another added: “Let the lady get the teacher she wants; it’s not our business how she decides about the education of her children.”

What do you think? Vote and leave your comments below.

 Loading ...

CORRECTION: The original Facebook poster was the students’ regular teacher, not their mother.

(Exclusively on the Krakow Post from Inside Poland.)