I’m Not Married—So Should My Caregiving Leave Go to Someone with a Family?

On the day of my layoff consultation, HR slid a Family Stability Scorecard across the table to me. Beside my name, it read: Unmarried woman, no mortgage, no children, registered resident of another city, low stability-recommended for redundancy. Three days earlier, I had submitted a request for caregiving leave. My mother needed a postoperative follow-up, and her medical record stated that a family member had to accompany her within seventy-two hours. My manager rejected the request. He said, “Lin Wan, you aren’t married and have no husband or children to look after, so you should be able to handle more pressure.” That same afternoon, Ms. Wang requested leave to attend a parent-child camp with her son, and the system approved it instantly. The reason given was that she was married with a child, bore heavy family responsibilities, and deserved accommodation. It was not until the layoff list was posted that I saw another note. [This employee is unmarried and lacks stable family ties, making her long-term commitment questionable; her recent request for caregiving leave indicates a risk of sudden family-care obligations.] Apparently, being unmarried meant I had no family when I needed leave, yet made me the person most likely to quit when layoffs came around. HR told me to sign and said, “The company merely conducted a comprehensive assessment.” “Fine.” “Then let’s find out whether this scorecard measures stability-or simply who is easiest to bully.”