The Wisconsin Fair Employment Act prohibits employers from discriminating against applicants or employees based on the status of being married, single, divorced, separated, or widowed.
Marital status discrimination can also go hand-in-hand with gender discrimination, sex discrimination, equal pay discrimination, or sexual harassment. For example, comments in the workplace that an employer pays females less because they have “someone at home to take care of them,” demonstrates an unfortunately traditional attitude sometimes held towards working women which is essentially a matter of sex discrimination, not on the status of being married, single, divorced, or separated.
An employer also may not refuse insurance coverage to employees who are covered under their spouse’s insurance. There are, however, a few notable exceptions to marital status discrimination in the workplace.
What is Not Marital Status Discrimination
- Providing more extensive health insurance to married employees as opposed to single employees
- Failing to offer dependent health insurance coverage to the unmarried partners of homosexual state employees
- Prohibiting an employee from directly supervising or being directly supervised by his or her spouse
- Discriminating on the basis or because of the specific identity, characteristics, or actions of an employee’s spouse
- Terminating an employee because of his or her conduct, rather than the employee’s status as a married individual
- Demanding that an employee place work before his or her personal life
- Maintaining a company policy that prohibits employees from dating, living, or maintaining a romantic association if the policy applies equally to all employees, regardless of marital status, and attempts to regulate conduct rather than the status of being married or single
The Walcheske & Luzi, LLC Difference
At Walcheske & Luzi, LLC it is our pledge to provide open and honest advice, taking the time to listen, counsel, and advise. We will work closely with you to determine if you are the victim of marital status discrimination. Tell us about your marital status discrimination case, we’re ready to help.
Check out our testimonials section, where former clients have described their past experiences with us.