When you work for a company, you expect that hard work and loyalty to the company will help you grow and succeed. Unfortunately, you may face gender discrimination from your superiors.
Despite federal and state laws outlawing it, gender discrimination still happens in the workplace. Several cases show how this type of discrimination can affect workers. Here are a few ways your company can discriminate against you based on your gender:
- Passing over more qualified candidates for high-level positions – Companies such as Microsoft have faced lawsuits accusing them of promoting only men to higher-level positions. Even if women have more experience or seniority, they lose out on better jobs with better pay.
- Better compensation for men – Women can also face gender discrimination when they have the same job as men in the company but receive much lower pay. This pay disparity can be even subtler if the men have the same base salary but receive more benefits such as stock options, health benefits or paid time off.
- Only hiring one gender for a role – While women have faced this discriminatory practice for years, it can also affect men. Ventura Corporation faced a lawsuit claiming they only hired female sales reps to sell beauty products. And Lawry’s, a company that owns restaurants, only hired women for server roles.
Gender discrimination happens in the workplace when a company or employees treat one gender differently than the other. Sometimes the discrimination can be obvious, but other times it can be subtle. A supervisor or manager might expect women to help clean up around the office. Or a supervisor might allow women to leave work early while requiring men to work overtime.
When you face discrimination, you should follow the necessary steps to report it to your company. If your company doesn’t address the discrimination, you may be able to file a lawsuit.
When you show up for work, you want your superiors to treat you fairly. You work hard at your job and expect to receive fair treatment and compensation, regardless of your gender.
