Employment discrimination occurs when employers consider inappropriate factors when making employment decisions. Sex-based discrimination, sometimes referred to as gender discrimination, is one of the most well-known forms of workplace discrimination.
Both Florida state statutes and federal regulations prohibit employers from considering a worker’s sex when making employment decisions. Despite the clear statutes establishing sex as a protected characteristic, sex-based discrimination remains a common issue in certain workplaces.
What are some of the ways that sex discrimination affects modern employees?
1. Unfair employment decisions
Generally speaking, a worker’s sex has little to no impact on their ability to perform job functions. Employers should not choose who to hire based on the sex of individual applicants. They also should not consider sex when making decisions about promotions or finalizing the list of workers for layoffs in a scenario requiring a mass reduction of the company’s existing workforce.
2. Wage discrepancies
Discrimination may affect not just employment but also compensation. Companies may hire workers without discriminating on the basis of sex. However, they may pay them less because they are female. Such practices are relatively widespread despite federal regulations requiring equal pay for comparable work. Companies that discriminate when setting wages frequently try to hide that conduct by training workers not to discuss their wages with one another.
3. Ignored harassment
Sexual harassment is technically a form of sex discrimination. If a company allows those in managerial positions to engage in quid pro quo harassment or entire teams to create a hostile work environment on the basis of a worker’s sex, then that may constitute sex based discrimination. Employers should train workers about sexual harassment and should respond appropriately when workers file complaints or reports about harassment they have experienced or witnessed in the workplace.
Unfortunately, employees fighting back against sex-based discrimination often face an uphill battle. They need to know their rights and have enough proof to convince their employers, or possibly the civil courts, that discrimination has occurred.
Working with an employment attorney can make it easier for professionals to document sex discrimination and any retaliation they face for reporting the discrimination. Professionals who successfully take action may be eligible for compensation in some cases and can protect others from experiencing sex discrimination at a particular company in the future.