“Babysitting job perfect for a college student”- dog whistle?

[Anonymous]

On our community FB page I’m frequently seeing people post looking for a part time nanny or date night sitter and then announcing it would be a perfect fit for a college student or a teacher looking for extra money on weekends or perhaps a local stay at home mom looking to make some extra money. It always rubs me the wrong way, as if they’re blatantly stating “I want an UMC type of white woman to babysit”. Is it just me? Like why not just state the job you’re offering without adding that you think it would be a great fit for an educated young woman who lives in your neighborhood. And by “great fit” meaning, “this is who I want”.

[Anonymous]

They’re saving everyone time. And of course they can choose someone educated to babysit their kids rather than someone who speaks poorly or can hardly read or write.

[Anonymous]

So?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They’re saving everyone time. And of course they can choose someone educated to babysit their kids rather than someone who speaks poorly or can hardly read or write.

I get that… maybe it’s just the phrasing of “this is a great fit for anyone besides a career nanny because I don’t want that!” just sounds so entitled. Like, don’t tell me what job is a great fit for me. Post the job and hope that I apply. And filter out the replies you don’t want because they aren’t young white college students.

[Anonymous]

It’s legitimate to want someone who has some college experience as an occasional sitter if they’re willing to pay for it. You are off base here.

[Anonymous]

No. More minority women get college degrees, especially black women, than any other race.

Aside from that they're just trying to weed out inexperienced tweens. The question is are they paying at least $30/hour for the 'college student' or experienced mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re saving everyone time. And of course they can choose someone educated to babysit their kids rather than someone who speaks poorly or can hardly read or write.

I get that… maybe it’s just the phrasing of “this is a great fit for anyone besides a career nanny because I don’t want that!” just sounds so entitled. Like, don’t tell me what job is a great fit for me. Post the job and hope that I apply. And filter out the replies you don’t want because they aren’t young white college students.

I think they are more trying to confer an age minimum than anything else. I agree they should just say that.

[Anonymous]

That’s not what dog whistle means.

[Anonymous]

Many BIPOC go to college.
Many BIPOC are SAHMs.
Maybe ask yourself why you assume educated = white?

[Anonymous]

I would assume they say that so applicants have no expectation of full time hours or health insurance. They’re specially calling out that they want someone who has another job/isn’t looking to work full time.

[Anonymous]

OP, you're really looking for a reason to be mad about this and there's just none there.

[Anonymous]

Maybe. Or maybe they are just weeding out (1) career child care workers and (2) inexperienced teens. If you don't want either of those groups, for whatever reason, then offering the examples of teachers, college students, or SAHMs seems not unreasonable. It's not a racial restriction, and wanting educated or experienced babysitters is fine.

[Anonymous]

As other races tend to say, 'I want someone who looks like me and reflects my culture.' So yes, I can ask that for my kids' babysitters. OP, you are way off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s legitimate to want someone who has some college experience as an occasional sitter if they’re willing to pay for it. You are off base here.

because you need college experience to play Candyland, fix dinner and get kids ready for bed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many BIPOC go to college.
Many BIPOC are SAHMs.
Maybe ask yourself why you assume educated = white?

Yeah, I feel like the racism comes from OP. In our neighborhood, there are lots of woman of color in college, so I wouldn't assume that college student = white.