If you are a woman in today’s working world, you realize the vast number of opportunities that are available to you in companies and organizations. However, you also realize there is still much work to be done in the workplace to put women on equal footing with men in terms of pay and promotions. Unfortunately, gender discrimination is still alive and well in companies and organizations big and small, resulting in women still today receiving salaries that are just slightly over 80% of what men will earn for doing the same job. Along with the discrepancy in pay, women are often passed over for promotions or not allowed to explore opportunities in career fields often dominated by men. In most cases, decisions attributed to employers actually meet the criteria for discrimination. If you feel as if a company or organization has discriminated against you solely due to your gender, learn how to combat it from a legal standpoint by meeting with a gender discrimination attorney.
Is This Discrimination Easily Defined?
Yes and no. While this form of discrimination is defined as the unfavorable treatment of an employee or job applicant due only to their gender, companies and organizations that regularly practice this type of discrimination can be very good at maneuvering around state and federal equal opportunity laws. While many business owners may not believe discriminating against women is hurting their company’s bottom line, the facts say otherwise. By having an unwillingness to use people’s talents and skills in the best possible ways, many organizations and businesses see their productivity and profits take a big hit. If you applied for a job or were up for a promotion and believe you did not get it only because you are a woman, take your concerns to a gender discrimination lawyer and talk about your situation in more detail.
Males Still Dominate Certain Careers
Even though women today hold high positions in business, politics, and other areas, there is still no doubt whatsoever that certain career fields continue to be dominated by male workers and executives. Particularly evident in the construction industry, automotive industry, aviation, engineering, and even in such areas as higher education, women continue to face barriers when trying to get jobs or promotions. Time after time, many women are denied opportunities only because men who are in positions involving hiring continue to believe women cannot perform certain jobs on a level comparable to a man. Should you be facing a situation where your qualifications for a job were impeccable yet you were still denied an opportunity in a male-dominated industry, let an attorney associated with West Coast Employment Lawyers look over the evidence and give you advice on your possible legal options.
Negative Work Environment
Should you be a woman who is continually being denied pay raises or promotions from male management personnel while having to watch your male coworkers move up the career ladder, the result will be the creation of a very negative work environment. Rather than being able to focus solely on your job each day, you will likely find yourself starting to think more and more of why this is happening to you and probably many other females at your place of employment. As a result, you will begin to ponder your options, which could include quitting your job and seeking employment elsewhere, as well as speaking to a gender discrimination attorney about what could be involved should you decide to pursue a civil lawsuit of gender discrimination against your employer. If conflict, tension, and a lingering doubt that you are being discriminated against have become standard parts of your workday, it may be time to talk over your concerns with a gender discrimination lawyer who handles these cases daily.
Why Bother Working Hard?
When discrimination of this nature is common on the job, even the hardest-working females begin to wonder why they are bothering to work so diligently at their jobs. In these situations, female employees may resign themselves to knowing they will be passed over for promotions each time an opening becomes available. Should this lack of motivation persist, the result over time becomes not only a negative work environment, but one where productivity declines sharply. In addition, word quickly spreads outside the company about possible discriminatory practices against women, resulting in fewer and fewer women applying for jobs. In effect, an employer in these situations is slowly doing themselves in without even knowing it is happening. However, as profits begin to decline due to a lack of productivity, everyone suffers the effects, which can sometimes result in a business failing to maintain operations.
Legal Repercussions for Employers
Though many employers are used to practicing discrimination against women, they will eventually do so against an applicant or employee who is determined to stand up for her rights and hold the employer accountable for its actions. As a result, the legal repercussions for a company can be quite significant. Since all states have laws on the books regarding equal employment opportunities for women, those who believe they are being discriminated against can meet with experienced lawyers from West Coast Employment Lawyers and learn about the process of filing a lawsuit. In some instances, it may only take filing a complaint with such federal agencies as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to force an employer to sit up and take notice. Whatever the case may be, pursuing legal action is often an effective way to finally get the promotions and other opportunities you deserve.
Mandatory Training Sessions
As more and more companies and organizations become aware of discriminatory practices and the negative repercussions they can have financially and otherwise, mandatory training sessions are fast becoming the norm for male and female employees. Often referred to as sensitivity training, these seminars and classes discuss a variety of topics on how to notice signs of discrimination, what can be done to stop discrimination in the workplace, and the various types of legal options open to employees who feel they have no choice left but to seek a legal remedy to the situation. Along with these discussions, participants also work with one another in role-playing exercises, which often lets male employees gain a greater understanding of what their female coworkers go through when facing discriminatory situations.
Changing Job Requirements
In an effort to break down the glass ceiling and provide more opportunities for female applicants and current employees, some employers now have revised their job requirements. Rather than continuing to demand applicants have certain levels of college training or previous job experience, companies in male-dominated industries have started to create on-the-job training sessions that involve classroom and practical training. By doing so, women are often able to gain many new job opportunities in construction, manufacturing, and other career fields where they will be working side-by-side with their male counterparts.
Though progress has admittedly been slow over the years, more and more women do find themselves able to pursue career opportunities that once may have never been possible. Nevertheless, if you are continuing to deal with gender discrimination, take charge of the situation by scheduling a consultation very soon with skilled employment law attorneys from West Coast Employment Lawyers