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The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 guarantees workplace protections to pregnant people. If you’ve been discriminated against or your workplace rights were violated while you were pregnant or after you gave birth you may be able to file a claim against your employer for damages.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act works in conjunction with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to guarantee that pregnant persons are not fired, demoted, or in any way penalized for pregnancy. It also ensures that pregnant persons who have special physical needs get accommodations for their condition.

Women’s Equality Day is an annual celebration in the United States that recognizes significant achievements that past leaders have made in the area of women’s rights. Now, Women’s Equality Day may also serve as an occasion to focus on ways in which workplace gender discrimination still occurs, and what employees and employers can do about the issue.

The ADEA protects employees aged 40 and over from discrimination in the workplace. It prohibits employers from making hiring and promotion decisions based on a job applicant’s or employee’s age. It has been a law since 1967. Despite the long-term presence of the ADEA some employers still discriminate against job applicants and employees due to their age. In 2019, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 15,573 complaints about age discrimination.

Both direct discrimination and indirect discrimination are illegal at work, whether it is job applicants or current employees experiencing the discrimination. If you experienced either, then you may have a discrimination claim. This is because it is illegal to discriminate against an employee based on certain characteristics that the employee may possess, such as the person’s color, race, gender, age, disability status, dress, religious affiliation, sexual orientation and pregnancy status.

The PUMP Act for Nursing Mothers is part of the Consolidation Appropriations Act. It’s legislation designed to give more protections to working mothers who are breastfeeding children. The Fair Labor Standards Act and the Break Time For Nursing Mothers Act offer some protections for nursing mothers but the PUMP Act goes further to guarantee that women have appropriate time and an appropriate place to breastfeed or pump breast milk.

Workplace discrimination occurs when an employer mistreats an employee or job candidate in various ways due to said employee or candidate belonging to a protected class. For example, discrimination may involve an employer denying a worthy employee a promotion due to their race. Or it can involve firing an employee because of their religion. 

Employment law refers to the legal relationship which has been established between employers and employees. It covers several features of the employer/ employee relationship. This includes different types of discrimination in the workplace, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, wage theft and retaliation from the employer when an employee has complained about illegal practice in the workplace.

Legalities In Employment Law 

Some common legal issues in employment law include the following.

Many employers now use artificial intelligence (AI) for the hiring process, resulting in new guidance for AI and employment law claims. In the employment context, the use of AI typically means that the developer relies partly on the computer’s own analysis of data to determine which criteria to use when making recruitment decisions.

There are both Federal and state laws that protect workers against discrimination by employers. Illinois workers are protected by the Illinois Human Rights Act, also referred to as “the Act”. This Illinois law goes further than some Federal laws to protect workers from discrimination by employers and prevent wrongful termination or forced resignation based on illegal discrimination.

Both federal law and many state laws prohibit employers from discriminating against older workers in the hiring process. Unfortunately, not all employers obey these laws.

Do you believe a potential employer discriminated against you due to your age during hiring? If so, you may be able to seek justice by filing a discrimination claim.

Know Your Rights 

Several laws in the United States prohibit age discrimination in hiring, including: