During Women’s History Month and throughout the year women need to be aware of their rights as employees. Women are protected from discrimination, unlawful termination, and other practices by employers and have the right to file a complaint if those rights are violated.
What Is Women’s History Month?
Women’s History Month is one month of the year dedicated to telling the stories of women throughout history. Many workplaces use Women’s History Month as a time to celebrate workplace equality and talk about the rights of women in the workplace.
Workplace Equality
Workplace equality is vital to women’s success. Women have had an ongoing fight throughout the centuries for equal pay, representation in the workplace, and the right to work without being sexually harassed. Two of the most important laws for women’s equality are Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Pay Act.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is a Federal law that says employers can’t discriminate against women in the workplace because of their gender. That means they can’t fire a woman for being pregnant, or refuse to hire a woman that is pregnant. They can’t allow women to be sexually harassed or bullied at work, and they can’t require that women wear certain types of clothes or makeup.
The Equal Pay act is a Federal law that says women and men must be paid equally for the same job. Women can’t be paid less than men for the same job. If a woman is promoted and given a raise the raise that she receives must be the same as a man would receive. And women can’t be paid less than either state or Federal minimum wage, whichever rate is higher.
Women’s Rights At Work
Women have other rights at work that are protected by Federal law too. Specifically, there are laws the protect women from having their jobs taken away while they are pregnant or being unlawfully terminated if they take maternity leave. There are also laws that require employers to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant women like allowing them to sit rather than stand and allowing them extra time for medical appointments. Some of the law that protect women in the workplace are:
- The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978
- The Family And Medical Leave Act
- The Fair Labor Standards Act
- The Pregnancy Protection Act
If your workplace rights are violated by an employer you can file a complaint against that employer with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and with state officials in the state where you live.
Speak With an Employment Lawyer
If you’re a woman whose workplace rights have been violated, you should speak with an employment attorney now. You may have the right to file a complaint against your employer and collect damages or even get your job back if you were unlawfully terminated.
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