With Women’s History Month beginning this week, we find it prudent to reflect on the contributions that women have made to the American workplace, as well as the strides women have made despite discrimination in the workplace.
As you may already know, working women are vital to the workplace. According to recent Department of Labor information, there are more than 74 million women in today’s workforce, which amounts to about 47 percent of all workers in the United States. Women head close to 10 million businesses, which accounts for $1.4 trillion in revenue each year.
In the past two decades, women have made considerable strides in gaining management positions. The Department of Labor reports that women make up 74 percent of human resource managers, 65 percent of education administrators, and 71 percent of social and community service managers. However, only 27 percent of professional women are chief executives in major corporations.
Although these numbers are encouraging, women are still subject to sex based discrimination. Women still lag behind men when it comes to earning equal salaries. Of the nearly 13,000 sex discrimination complaints received by the EEOC last year, more than 80 percent were filed by women. Because of this, it is essential to have an experienced employment law attorney on your side in the event you experience unlawful harassment or intimidation in the workplace.
Should you be a victim, you could be eligible for a variety of monetary awards, including back pay, future pay and emotional distress; among other things.
The preceding is not legal advice.