Questions on a Job Application

Karen Black on CJOB radio had an interesting discussion going during her afternoon drive. It seems a lady had been asked on a job application whether or not she was married. What the job was, I don't know, but the lady, it seems, had been bothered by the question, and Karen, too, found the question objectionable.

So she brought the question to the people. How would we feel if, on a job application, we were asked whether or not we were married. I thought about it, and realized that I had no feelings either way. I didn't think it was a necessary question, but I also didn't see the harm in it. I predicted, quite accurately, it seems, that there would be a gender split here, that those objecting to the question would primarily be women and that those not objecting to it would primarily be men. Those who objected tended to object very strenuously, while those who didn't object tended to vary in opinion from indifference to one man who said that such objection had everything to do with feminism, an argument I didn't understand, let alone buy.

The host felt that it was a privacy issue. I'm not sure I buy this either, sicne one's marital status is, as far as I know, a matter of public record. I guess I don't see the big deal one way or another. If I were designing a job application question, I wouldn't put that question on it, whether or not such a question is legal; but if I were asked that question on a job application, I wouldn't think about it for a second, I'd just answer it.

Am I right? Is this a gender split? What think you?