(a) No department, agency, or board of the state shall deny employment with such department, agency, or board to a wife whose husband is on active duty in the armed forces of the United States or on active duty in a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, including the national guard, merely because she is a wife of a member of the armed forces.

(b) This Code section shall not be construed to require a department, agency, or board of the state to employ any person who is not qualified for such employment or to employ any person if no opening is available for the position applied for by such person. This Code section is intended only to prevent departments, agencies, and boards of the state from discriminating against wives of servicemen in the opportunity of securing employment with such departments, agencies, and boards.