Women face discrimination in any workplace, although the risk is noticeably higher in specific professions. Especially if they pursue careers in male-dominated industries, such as construction or automotive engineering, they could be at risk of workplace sexual harassment, which is a form of discrimination.
They could also experience systemic discrimination that causes them to struggle to secure positions or pursue promotions due to their sex. Women may also face increased challenges related to secondary forms of discrimination. For example, immigrant women and female members of minority religions are more vulnerable to racial, national origin and religious discrimination than their male coworkers with shared characteristics. Female professionals are also frequently more vulnerable to age discrimination than men of the same age.
What is age discrimination?
The law regarding age discrimination specifically addresses mistreating workers because of their maturity or advanced age. Generally speaking, age discrimination statutes specifically protect professionals who are 40 years old or older. Younger professionals usually do not have grounds to allege age discrimination due to employers requiring experience or education that they have not yet had an opportunity to obtain.
Age discrimination may involve a hostile work environment where coworkers or supervisors mistreat workers habitually because of their age. Female employees over 40 may be especially vulnerable to this form of workplace misconduct.
Whether it is fair or not, attractiveness often plays a large role in how co-workers, employers and even clients or customers perceive female professionals. Women who are older may no longer fit into the very strict standards for mainstream female attractiveness. Therefore, they may find themselves facing abuse and mistreatment in the workplace.
They may experience a reduction in professional opportunities, ranging from a loss of new client leads to difficulty securing promotions. When companies treat female workers differently because of their age, those workers may lose out on advancement opportunities and may suffer financial consequences.
An age discrimination lawsuit could help a frustrated female professional hold her employer accountable for treating her differently due to her age or allowing coworkers to mistreat her due to her age or her appearance. Reviewing recent professional disappointments or workplace misconduct with a lawyer could be the first step toward justice when a woman’s age or sex has inspired workplace discrimination.
