Gender discrimination in the workplace is the unfair treatment of an individual because of their gender. Both male and female employees can face gender discrimination. A study found that 42% of women and 22% of men reported experiencing workplace gender discrimination.
Gender, age, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation are all protected classes. An employer is not allowed to discriminate against an employee based on gender or any other protected class. The signs of workplace discrimination may be obvious, or they may be subtle.
Some examples of gender discrimination may include:
- Performing the same job as someone of the opposite gender but earning less
- Getting less support from a supervisor than a coworker of the other gender
- Being treated as less competent than a coworker because of gender
- Being assigned fewer or less important assignments
- Not receiving a promotion
The above circumstances involve unfair treatment of an employee based on gender. Women may be more likely to be discriminated against than men.
Do women face harsher punishments than men?
The National Bureau of Economic Research found that women face harsher punishments than men when accused of workplace misconduct. Following misconduct, female employees were 20% more likely to lose their job and 30% less likely to be hired for a new job compared to male employees, for the same level of misconduct.
The study found that Wells Fargo was especially unfair in their treatment of men versus women. Approximately 41% of male Wells Fargo advisers either resigned or were fired after an allegation of misconduct, compared to 69% of women. This shows a strikingly unfair treatment of employees solely based on gender.
If you are being discriminated against or faced discrimination that led to termination, you may want to seek legal representation. An employment law attorney will be able to answer questions and guide you through the legal process.
