The BC Human Rights Tribunal recently held that questions asked of a job applicant about her age, marital and family status violated section 13 of the Human Rights Code.
The complainant applied for work as a server at a hotel. She claimed that the first three questions she was asked at her interview by the hotel manager were about her age and marital status and whether she had children. She said that the interview ended abruptly after she provided her age and explained that she was a single mother. She was later notified that she was not selected for the position.
At the Tribunal hearing, the manager admitted that he asked the questions but said that he did so because he considered employees with family responsibilities to be more reliable. Rejecting this defence, the Tribunal found that the complainant had established discrimination because the questions were unrelated to her ability to perform the functions of the job. The complainant was awarded $500.00 as compensation for the loss of opportunity to be fairly considered for the position and for injury to her dignity and self-respect.
(Click here for copy of Decision)