Gender Discrimination

Gender Discrimination Lawyers in NYC

Facing Gender Discrimination? We Can Help.

While everyone should agree that men and women are equal and both are entitled to the same rights and opportunities, gender discrimination in the workplace is still a common occurrence.

In fact, about 4 in 10 working women in the United States have faced gender discrimination on the job. This is both frustrating and illegal, as no one should face harassment or be refused job opportunities due to their gender. 

If you believe you may be a victim of gender or sex discrimination, then it’s important for you to know that you have options.  You don’t have to face this alone.  With a trusted gender discrimination lawyer from White & Hilferty on your side, you can fight to get the justice you deserve.

Gender Discrimination – Definition

Gender discrimination is a practice that involves treating someone poorly or unfairly due to their gender or sex.  This typically stems from perceived and systemic biases that prevent people from receiving fair treatment, safety, and job opportunities.

Gender discrimination is illegal in New York and across the United States. It is never okay to be discriminated against or harassed because of your gender.   For a closely related topic of gender identity discrimination, read more here

Gender Discrimination in the Workplace

Gender discrimination in the workplace is a pervasive problem and can significantly affect a person’s ability to make a living.  If someone’s opportunities are being limited because of their gender, they may not have access to the same compensation, bonuses, promotions, or benefits as their counterparts of a different gender.

Gender discrimination in the workplace is always illegal and laws exist to protect you against such mistreatment. If you think you may be experiencing gender discrimination now or in the past, the best thing you can do is speak to a trusted NYC gender discrimination attorney at White & Hilferty.

Signs of Gender Discrimination in the Workplace

In today’s society, sexism is still common and it is often difficult to determine what qualifies as gender or sex discrimination.

“Harmless” flirting is not harmless is you are made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe at your place of work.  Getting passed over for job opportunities or promotions due to your gender is also illegal under New York and Federal law.

You don’t have to put up with gender discrimination at work.  Here are some of the signs to look out for if you think you may be experiencing gender discrimination in the workplace:

Biased Interview Questions

Federal, state, and city laws prohibit hiring managers and prospective employers from asking certain questions relating to gender or sex.  However, some biased interviewers may ask family-related questions – particularly to women – like, “Are you married?“, “How many children to you have?“, or “Do you plan on having children?” in order to gauge her ability to perform the job.  These types of questions are illegal. Especially when they have absolutely no relevance to how a person will be able to perform the essential duties of their job.

Unequal Pay Discrimination

Studies show that women are regularly paid less than men to perform the same job.  Women often times receive lower offers of pay because employers have a misconception that women are less likely to decline a job offer with low pay or negotiate their salary.  This practice is also an illegal form of gender discrimination in the workplace.  If you are being paid less or receiving unequal benefits than your male colleagues with the same or similar position and skill set, Contact a NYC gender discrimination lawyer at White & Hilferty to learn how we can help to protect your rights.

Position Discrimination

Position discrimination or bias is based on a misguided assumption that someone of a certain gender or sex is less (or more) qualified than a person of a different gender for a certain position.  For example, companies may think that women are more suited for secretarial roles and that men are more qualified to be executives.  Position discrimination is based on antiquated gender stereotypes.

Different Job Responsibilities

Women and men may have the same or similar positions, but be assigned different job responsibilities based on their gender.  For example, women may be assigned more administrative work while men are given client accounts.  This can be a sign of gender or sex discrimination.

Discrimination in Promotion

Many references are made to the “glass ceiling”, which is a metaphor for an artificial barrier that limits women from reaching the same mid-level and senior-level positions that men have access to.  This highlights the problem that women can only climb so high on the corporate ladder or make career advancements within a corporation because women are often passed up for promotions and other job opportunities that male employees have.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment can take many forms.  Essentially, sexual harassment involves any action or advance that makes a person feel intimidated, coerced, or uncomfortable due to their gender, sex, or sexual orientation.  Common examples of sexual harassment in the workplace include unwanted touching, sexual jokes, flirting, stalking or cyber stalking, assault, insults, and sexual requests.  Learn more about sexual harassment at the workplace here

Examples of Gender Discrimination at Work

Some forms of gender discrimination can be more obvious than others, but many times it is far more covert.  Once you know the potential signs of gender discrimination, you can start to recognize that it may be time to speak with a sex discrimination attorney at White & Hilferty to learn your rights.

Here are a few examples of gender discrimination at the workplace:  

  • A company has male and female account executives, but the men are always assigned the biggest accounts and the women have to run errands for the male executives.
  • A woman applies for a job as a marketing manager. She has experience and credentials, but is turned down because the team is “a bit of a boy’s club” and the marketing agents aren’t comfortable having a female manager.
  • A male employee and a female employee both have the same job position and have worked for the company for 3 years. During a conversation with her male coworker, the female employee discovers that she makes $10,000 less be year than her male counterpart.
  • A female employee has passed her quarterly reviews and is due for a promotion. Her male counterparts all get bonuses, but she is turned down for a promotion. She is let go for being “ungrateful” about her current salary.
  • A male employee constantly has to avoid unwanted flirting from his female boss. When he explains that the flirting makes him uncomfortable, the boss quarters him and says that he is at risk of being demoted. He quits because he can’t work in a hostile work environment.
  • A female employee finds out she is pregnant, but since her company doesn’t provide family leave, she is forced to use her sick and vacation time.  At the same time, her male counterparts are provided time off for disabling health conditions – even up to 6 months under the company’s disability plan.
  • Every Friday, male employees are invited to join the managers and higher execs for Happy Hour. During these events, male employees are able to network and build rapport with higher-ups. Female employees are not invited to these events and find themselves passed up for new job opportunities.

See the video below to learn more examples of gender discrimination in the workplace.  

New York Gender Discrimination Laws

The New York City Human Rights Law makes it illegal for any employer to discriminate on the basis of various protected classes, including a person’s gender, gender identity and expression, partnership status, and pregnancy.

Under this law, employees are also protected against retaliation for making complaints or reporting discrimination, including gender or sex discrimination, as long as there is a “reasonable belief” that the discrimination has occurred.  Claims for gender-based harassment can be brought against employers, regardless of the size of company.  Not only is gender discrimination against the law, but employees are also protected against employer retaliation for reporting gender or sex discrimination.

If you feel that your current or past employer has discriminated against you on the basis of your gender, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation, the best thing you can do is speak with a trusted NYC gender discrimination lawyer at White & Hilferty.

Contact a Gender Discrimination Attorney in NYC

Gender discrimination in the workplace is not something you have to fight alone.  The gender discrimination attorneys at White & Hilferty exist to help you in these situations.  The best thing you can do to get justice, compensation, and the peace of mind you deserve is to work with a dedicated and compassionate gender discrimination attorney.

At White & Hilferty, we provide aggressive legal representation for victims of gender discrimination and sexual harassment at the workplace.  We advocate on your behalf against employers of all sizes.

Schedule Your Free Legal Consultation

Don’t hesitate to give us a call 24/7 at 646-698-8990 or Contact Us online to schedule your free consultation.   We can help you determinate whether you have a case based on our expertise.  You do not have to continue to tolerate gender discrimination, and together we can devise a plan to move forward and help protect your rights.  

Frequently Asked Questions – Gender Discrimination

Not sure if you are experiencing gender discrimination? Do you think you might have a gender discrimination case? Below are some FAQ’s to some important questions you may have, or please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.  We would be thrilled to speak with you.

What should you do if you become a victim of gender discrimination?

If you are a victim of gender or sex discrimination at the workplace, know that you have options.  You are not limited to only contacting your employer or Human Resources.  Thanks to the many New York anti-discrimination laws that can protect your rights, you can seek legal support without being subjected to unlawful retaliation by your employer.  The best thing you can do is speak with a trusted NYC gender discrimination lawyer at White & Hilferty to explain your options and next steps.

Does White & Hilferty represent men and women in gender discrimination cases?

Yes.  We represent people of all genders in a variety of gender or sex discrimination cases. Equal treatment at the workplace must be given to all people during all parts of the employment process.  This includes matters involving hiring, compensation, firing or layoffs, promotion opportunities, training, working environment, and benefits.  All genders are entitled to be protected against unlawful gender or sex discrimination at the workplace.