Prior to the 1960s, many U.S. women did not pursue career opportunities outside the home. Fast forward 50 years and things have changed considerably and today more than 57 percent of women age 16 and older work outside the home. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, as of 2013 more than 127 million women age 16 and older were part of the American workforce.
While women have certainly proved they are on equal footing with men when it comes to pursuing higher degrees and performance in the workplace, inequalities remain with how some workplaces both treat and compensate female employees. While some acts of workplace gender discrimination are overt, others are less obvious and may take the form of company policies with regard to communication practices, assignments and even promotions.
Any successful workplace discrimination claim must be based upon treatment that is not only considered unfair, but also unequal to that enjoyed by other employees. Claims related to gender discrimination in the workplace can be difficult to prove as certain inequalities against women are widely accepted in U.S. society. For example, according to the Institute For Women Policy Research, 2013 statistics show that a working woman earns 78 cents for every dollar earned by a working man.
For working women, the right to equality in the workplace is protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under the provisions of Title VII, regardless of gender, an employee should be judged on the merits of his or her work product when it comes to actions related to hiring, firing, promotions and work assignments.
Women in the Los Angeles area who believe they have been subjected to gender discrimination by an employer may choose to discuss their situation with an attorney.
Source: FindLaw.com, “Sex/Gender Discrimination: Overview,” 2015