Marital status refers to being married, single, widowed or divorced. Civil union status and domestic partnership status refer to having legally entered into a civil union or domestic partnership under New Jersey’s provisions for those types of partnerships.
Although it may seem odd to think that people are discriminated against because of their marital status, these claims are not as uncommon as you would think. Marital status discrimination is usually driven by either stereotypes or some sort of personal moral code on the part of the employer or supervisor.
For example, marital discrimination claims exist when employers deny female employees promotions or raises (or pay them less to begin with) because the female employees are married. Some employers think it is okay to pay married women less or not promote them because of the perception that those women have a second income or are not the primary breadwinners in their families.
Another way those claims may exist is when employers hire single employees instead of married ones based on the perception that single people will work longer hours.
Other examples of how these claims may come up is when employers lay off single employees instead of married people who have children because that group has a family to support.
Yet other employers will simply discriminate against employees who are living with (but not married to) someone else or has children with someone without being married.
Discrimination on the basis of civil union status or domestic partnership status often are a form of sexual orientation discrimination. But these claims can look exactly like the examples of marital status claims addressed above.
Discrimination means treating people differently because of a protected category.
If you are being or have been discriminated against or harassed because of your marital, civil union status or domestic partnership status, email or call the marital status discrimination lawyers at Lenzo & Reis, LLC, at (973) 845-9922. Our New Jersey discrimination attorneys represent individuals who have been subjected to marital status discrimination in Morristown and throughout New Jersey.