Attitude towards single mothers

lavendermussel

Hi all,
I guessed this is the right place to ask, but please tell me if it is not.
I am currently living in the UK (third country national), divorced from an Irish guy. We have two children together (aged 1 and 3).
He is planning to relocate to Ireland in 2017, and I am currently considering whether to do the same or not in order to facilitate a reasonable level of contact. I have a job offer from a company based in Ireland (financial services), paying an ok salary.
While attending my final interview last week, however, I caught up afterwards for a pint with an old friend/colleague who relocated to Dublin a couple of years ago. She was adamant that I will face a lot of hostility as a single immigrant mother, especially in the financial industry which is still quite conservative.
I was not sure what to make of it, and was quite surprised. From an outsider point of view, Ireland sends very positive vibes as an open-minded and diverse nation (legalising same sex marriage etc.) but, having worked in many different countries before, I know that there is often a huge gap between the legal developments on paper and de-facto prevailing attitudes in the community.
May I please ask you about your personal experiences of being a single parent in Ireland?
Thank you!

C3PO

Frankly, I think that is absolute nonsense!
The Irish economy has benefited hugely from the influx of overseas workers over the last two decades and in my experience you will be judged on your performance and personality rather than Nationality or marital status! And while I am male rather than female, I do work in Financial Services with many Non Nationals of both sexes!

AlanG

There is very little or no hostility to working single parents in Ireland. You will not have a problem. There is quite a bit of hostility to single parents who don't work.
From my experience some large companies in the financial services industry do have a problem with mothers in general. Many are not very flexible and expect a lot of unpaid overtime. This can be more difficult for single mothers but is not aimed at single mothers if you know what I mean, single mothers without family support just suffer more as a result.
Some of the large American private banks expect all their executives to be married but this is at a very high level close to partnership.
If your Ex and his family will be good support so you can work late then you should be ok. If you have to leave on time each day then you will have a hard time getting a promotion or above average review.

Elliottsmum79

lavendermussel wrote: »

Hi all,
I guessed this is the right place to ask, but please tell me if it is not.
I am currently living in the UK (third country national), divorced from an Irish guy. We have two children together (aged 1 and 3).
He is planning to relocate to Ireland in 2017, and I am currently considering whether to do the same or not in order to facilitate a reasonable level of contact. I have a job offer from a company based in Ireland (financial services), paying an ok salary.
While attending my final interview last week, however, I caught up afterwards for a pint with an old friend/colleague who relocated to Dublin a couple of years ago. She was adamant that I will face a lot of hostility as a single immigrant mother, especially in the financial industry which is still quite conservative.
I was not sure what to make of it, and was quite surprised. From an outsider point of view, Ireland sends very positive vibes as an open-minded and diverse nation (legalising same sex marriage etc.) but, having worked in many different countries before, I know that there is often a huge gap between the legal developments on paper and de-facto prevailing attitudes in the community.
May I please ask you about your personal experiences of being a single parent in Ireland?
Thank you!

My goodness. I'd be questioning where your "helpful" friend was coming from? Seems ridiculous to me. I really hope you didn't base a decision on this advice. I'm not a single mom but I have friends who are separated, widowed, divorced and apart from occasionally feeling that they were seen as being as a threat to an occasional insecure friend who imagines they are out to steal their not so stealable husband (LOL), they have never had any negative judgement about their status in Ireland. If you are here, warmest welcomes and good luck!