> Would you also argue that women take more time off to have babies so it’s only fair on employers not to hire them?
No, hiring no women simply because they get babies would be silly.
How long the person will likely stay with the company and which extended leaves they will be taking is of course a factor in the hiring decision. Both of those events incur a real and measurable cost to the company. But there are many reasons why males and females leave or take time off, babies are only one of them. And it is only one factor among many. Expected job performance, personality, the effects of certain team compositions, customer perception, etc all have a bigger effect on the company than the baby factor and thus should be weighed accordingly.
No, hiring no women simply because they get babies would be silly.
How long the person will likely stay with the company and which extended leaves they will be taking is of course a factor in the hiring decision. Both of those events incur a real and measurable cost to the company. But there are many reasons why males and females leave or take time off, babies are only one of them. And it is only one factor among many. Expected job performance, personality, the effects of certain team compositions, customer perception, etc all have a bigger effect on the company than the baby factor and thus should be weighed accordingly.