(a) Except as provided in (c) of this section, it is unlawful for

(1) an employer to refuse employment to a person, or to bar a person from employment, or to discriminate against a person in compensation or in a term, condition, or privilege of employment because of the person's race, religion, color, or national origin, or because of the person's age, physical or mental disability, sex, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, or parenthood when the reasonable demands of the position do not require distinction on the basis of age, physical or mental disability, sex, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, or parenthood;

(2) a labor organization, because of a person's sex, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, age, race, religion, physical or mental disability, color, or national origin, to exclude or to expel a person from its membership, or to discriminate in any way against one of its members or an employer or an employee;

(3) an employer or employment agency to print or circulate or cause to be printed or circulated a statement, advertisement, or publication, or to use a form of application for employment or to make an inquiry in connection with prospective employment, that expresses, directly or indirectly, a limitation, specification, or discrimination as to sex, physical or mental disability, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, age, race, creed, color, or national origin, or an intent to make the limitation, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification;

(4) an employer, labor organization, or employment agency to discharge, expel, or otherwise discriminate against a person because the person has opposed any practices forbidden under AS 18.80.200 - 18.80.280 or because the person has filed a complaint, testified, or assisted in a proceeding under this chapter;

(5) an employer to discriminate in the payment of wages as between the sexes, or to employ a female in an occupation in this state at a salary or wage rate less than that paid to a male employee for work of comparable character or work in the same operation, business, or type of work in the same locality; or

(6) a person to print, publish, broadcast, or otherwise circulate a statement, inquiry, or advertisement in connection with prospective employment that expresses directly a limitation, specification, or discrimination as to sex, physical or mental disability, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, age, race, religion, color, or national origin, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification.

(b) The state, employers, labor organizations, and employment agencies shall maintain records on age, sex, and race that are required to administer the civil rights laws and regulations. These records are confidential and available only to federal and state personnel legally charged with administering civil rights laws and regulations. However, statistical information compiled from records on age, sex, and race shall be made available to the general public.

(c) Notwithstanding the prohibition against employment discrimination on the basis of marital status or parenthood under (a) of this section,

(1) an employer may, without violating this chapter, provide greater health and retirement benefits to employees who have a spouse or dependent children than are provided to other employees;

(2) a labor organization may, without violating this chapter, negotiate greater health and retirement benefits for employees of an employer who have a spouse or dependent children than are provided to other employees of the employer.

(d) In this section, “dependent child” means an unmarried child, including an adopted child, who is dependent upon a parent for support and who is either

(1) less than 19 years old;

(2) less than 23 years old and registered at and attending on a full-time basis an accredited educational or technical institution recognized by the Department of Education and Early Development; or

(3) of any age and totally and permanently disabled.