"So — are you planning on having children?" The question lands. You weren't expecting it. And now you're sitting across from a potential employer, wondering whether to answer, correct them, or walk out.
Questions like this are often illegal to ask in a job interview — and they still get asked all the time, usually not out of malice but out of ignorance or poor training. Knowing your rights and having a response ready means you're not caught off guard when it happens.
Questions That Are Typically Illegal (or Inadvisable) to Ask
- Age or date of birth (Age Discrimination)
- Marital status, relationship status, or plans to marry
- Whether you have or plan to have children
- Nationality, birthplace, or right to work phrasing beyond what's legally required
- Religion or religious observance
- Disability or medical conditions not directly relevant to the role
- Pregnancy or plans for pregnancy
- Sexual orientation or gender identity
- Political beliefs
- Spent criminal convictions (varies by role and jurisdiction)
The law varies by country. In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 covers most of these. In the US, federal and state laws apply. In either case, questions that relate to a protected characteristic without clear job relevance are legally problematic for the employer.
Why These Questions Still Get Asked
Often it is not discrimination — it is a lack of HR training. An interviewer at a small company may be asking "do you have children?" because they're trying to gauge your schedule availability. That doesn't make it legal, but it does mean the right response is often to redirect rather than escalate.
Your Three Options and When to Use Each
Option 1: Answer the underlying concern, not the question
This is usually the best option if you want the job and believe the question was asked thoughtlessly rather than maliciously. Figure out what they're actually worried about and address that.
Option 2: Politely decline to answer
This is appropriate if you're willing to potentially reduce your chances of an offer in exchange for not answering a question you're not legally required to answer.
Option 3: Answer honestly if you don't mind
You are not required to decline. If the question doesn't bother you and the answer doesn't disadvantage you, answering is perfectly fine — you're not obligated to enforce your rights.
If It Feels Like Genuine Discrimination
If the pattern of questions feels like your age, religion, or family status is being used to screen you out — trust that instinct. Document the questions (write them down immediately after the interview with time and date). If you are rejected and believe it was discriminatory, you may have grounds to file a complaint with an employment tribunal (UK) or the EEOC (US).
A company that asks these questions routinely in interviews is also likely to have other cultural and legal issues. The way a company interviews you is a preview of how they will treat you as an employee.
Practise handling difficult and unexpected interview scenarios on CentricQ — including questions that catch you off guard.
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