When you wake up every morning to report to your place of work, you hope to give your job your best and, in return, get fair pay for your input. Unfortunately, wage discrimination is rampant in most American workplaces.
Wage discrimination in the workplace happens when employees with the same qualifications and performing similar roles are not paid equally. Wage discrimination can also happen when an employee is paid differently based on their race, gender or disability. It is important to understand that pay discrimination is unlawful.
What you need to prove pay discrimination
You can prove wage discrimination by comparing what your coworkers with the same qualifications are earning to your own pay. When a coworker of a different identity such as race, gender or religious orientation is performing the same job as you but earning significantly more, you would be naturally inclined to believe that you’re a victim of pay discrimination.
It is important that you document the disparities in pay between you and your coworkers. For this, you may need to keep a journal in which you will be making entries on paydays that show the differences in pay. Additionally, it is important that you save any letters, emails and other evidence that are indicative of pay discrimination at your place of work.
While would be unusual for the employer to explicitly tell you are earning less than your coworkers due to your race, gender or any other protected characteristic, there may be instances when they can make such as admission either verbally or in writing. If this is the case with your circumstance, be sure to keep this evidence as well.
Ultimately, you probably shouldn’t tackle this situation alone. If your employer won’t equalize your pay, it may be time to explore your other legal options.