Many people think that gender discrimination no longer takes place and is a thing of the past, especially because women in particular are seen in all areas of life from Presidents and Prime Ministers to CEOs of large companies and organizations.
However, in ordinary everyday working life gender discrimination is abundant, such as getting pay parity with men at work, fewer opportunities for promotion, being the subject of unwelcome sexual harassment at work, being subject to racism more than men and being afraid to ask an employer to pay the same wage as male counterparts.
Fortunately, if gender discrimination can be proved it is illegal and the victim has the right to sue an employer for compensation if enough evidence is available proving gender discrimination has taken place.
Examples of Gender Discrimination at Work
There are several examples of gender discrimination at work which are described below.
Unequal Pay
Unequal pay is a dominant contributor to gender discrimination as women are overall paid 80% of what men are paid when doing the same job.
In a 2017 Pew Research Center survey one quarter of all employed women interviewed reported that they had earned less than a man who was employed doing the same job while only just 5 percent of men reported that they had earned less than a woman when employed doing the same job.
Sexual Harassment
This is an issue women face in the workplace and happens more frequently than people realize even though it is illegal and the employer has the power to stop it occurring. In a 2017 poll it was found that 45 percent of women said they were sexually harassed while at work but only 15 percent of men said they had been victims of sexual harassment.
It is not always easy to prove sexual harassment in the workplace because casual comments are often made which aren’t trying to be harmful. However, if the employee is afraid to come to work or output at work is reduced because of the hostile environment created by the sexual harassment then it is time to get something done about it.
Racism
Racism plays a large role in how women are treated as well as paid in the workplace. For example, an African American woman who has an advanced degree, like a master's degree, earns $7 less per hour than a Caucasian man with a bachelor's degree and $17 less per hour than Caucasian men who have an advanced degree.
Women are Promoted Less Than Men
There is evidence to show that women make up a smaller proportion of CEOs in companies and even when they have a higher education than men they still struggle to be promoted to the same level as a man.
In 2019 a survey of employees about their first promotion to management discovered that for every 100 men getting their first promotion, only 72 women were promoted. For women of color, the numbers were lower, with 68 Latinas and 58 black women being promoted to management positions.
Fear of Asking to be Paid for Your Worth
Many women know they are not being paid what they are worth but they are far more afraid than men to ask for more pay as society makes women seem greedier making them more hesitant to ask for a pay rise. More women accept initial pay rather negotiating higher pay like men do when they are offered a job.
What You Will Need to Know When Filing for Gender Discrimination in the Workplace
If you can prove you have been the victim of gender discrimination at work, you should first take the matter up with your employer and ask it to solve the problem as gender discrimination is illegal. If nothing is done to put an end to the gender discrimination then a complaint should be made to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC).
They will allocate an officer to handle your case who will approach the employer on your behalf. If your employer fails to do anything to stop the discrimination you may be given permission from the EEOC to file a lawsuit against your employer and if you win you may be entitled to compensation.
Before ahead and filing your complaint you should contact an attorney to get a free case evaluation and who will work on your behalf to get the compensation you deserve for your gender discrimination.
