The job interview lie that one in three women tell.

Is it ever okay to hide your relationship status by removing your wedding ring?

According to a recent study, one in three women not only think it is okay, but they do it regularly.

Nearly 2000 married women were surveyed about situations in which they take their wedding rings off (excluding reasons like showering and housework), and sadly, 1 in 3 of those women said they take their rings off for job interviews – because they were worried that the ‘signal of my relationship status would harm my chances of getting the job.’

Basically, many women are convinced that employers think wedding ring = babies = thanks, but no thanks.

Ali O’Neill, a representative form the company who carried out the survey, had this to say:

Even in modern times, many women still firmly believe that they are pigeonholed by their relationship status – fearing fewer opportunities should they be viewed as likely to swan off to start a family, and so take their ring off to avoid this happening. Whether this be the case or not, it’s clear that these kind of stereotypes are still a problem in the workplace.

It’s clear from our results that engagement and wedding rings signify so much more than simply a marriage – they’re a signal of our life plan.

So are women justified in thinking they need to hide their relationship status during job interviews?

While workplaces have (mostly) upgraded from Mad Men-level misogyny, there is still an assumption from many that women with children are not as valuable to the workplace as those without.

Just recently, UK writer and commentator Katie Hopkins revealed that she thinks most working mothers are ‘slack’ and detrimental to the workplace.

And Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer made headlines earlier this year when she stopped allowing employees to work from home.

A memo released from the company at the time stated that “To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices.”

The policy-change was considered by many at the time to be a huge step back for parents and flexibility in the workplace. Jessica Guyen wrote at the time:

Working mothers are in an uproar because they believe Mayer is setting them back by taking away their flexible working arrangements. Many view telecommuting as the only way time-crunched women can care for young children and advance their careers without the pay, privilege or perks that come with being the chief executive of a Fortune 500 company.

Meyer refused to back down, remarking in her defence a few months later: “people are more productive when they’re alone but they’re more collaborative and innovative when they’re together.”

So, given that Katie Hopkins and Marissa Meyers both have strong opinions about workplace flexibility, regardless of being working mothers themselves, is it any wonder that women are worried about admitting they may need flexible working arrangements in the future?

Do you think women foregoing their wedding rings in job interviews is justified or dishonest?