Illegal Job Interview Questions
Question 95: Are you married or single (separated or divorced)?
Although it is illegal to do so, an employer asks this question to try to determine how much time you might be asking off from work in the future. If you're married with three kids, the employer assumes you will want to take a two week vacation rather than just one week. If you're a young woman of child-bearing age, you might be taking extended maternity leaves in the future. You might need to take extra time off from work for your kids when they are sick, need to go to the doctor, or when they participate in school and sporting events. All of this costs the employer money in one way or another; therefore, you might be discriminated against.
If you feel that answering this question honestly will result in discrimination, then answer it but don't reveal any information that you don't have to reveal. For example, if you're a young woman planning to have kids in the upcoming years, don't reveal this fact. Instead, answer with "I am married" and say nothing more.
If you feel that answering this question honestly would give you a better chance of getting the job, then ignore the fact that it's illegal and offer a detailed answer: "I became divorced last year. Before that, I was married for 20 years and have two grown children aged 20 and 18. Both are away at college so I don't have any family obligations that would interfere with work."
