124.1 Coverage; distinction between national origin and ancestry

It is not uncommon for people to identify themselves with one part, even a minor part, of their ethnic background. Further, the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act does not require a Complainant to prove ancestry through documentary evidence since, for many of us, no such documents exist. Schramm v. Farm & Fleet (LIRC, 05/14/03).

The term “ancestry” does not include the concept of kinship. Mazzari v. LIRC (Ozaukee Co. Cir. Ct., 09/09/97).

Ancestry is generally understood in the area of civil rights as referring to ethnic groups. It refers to the country, nation, tribe, or other identifiable population from which one’s forebears came or to which they belonged. Ancestry is not a matter of membership in a particular family or of having a particular person as a family member. Cook v. Therapy & Support Servs. (LIRC, 11/08/91).

It is not discrimination based on “ancestry” to refuse to hire a person because her father works for the same employer. Kawczynski v. DOT (Wis. Pers. Comm’n, 11/04/80).