What Are the Cause and Effects of Gender Discrimination?

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Everyone deserves to be treated fairly and with the utmost respect in the workplace. If you are a woman who is qualified to do your job, you should not be discriminated against because of your gender. Most employers acknowledge this principle and respect it. Others neither acknowledge nor enforce such a principle of equality. Indeed, federal and state laws make it mandatory for employers to root out gender discrimination. If you work for a company that allows it to flourish, then you should act to defend your right to be treated decently, humanely, and respectfully. You should always try to resolve such matters at the lowest possible level. If that doesn't work, you may need to hire a gender discrimination attorney and take legal action.

What is Gender Discrimination?

It is a form of discrimination that stems from an unequal distribution of power. It is a systematic unfairness that is directed at women and manifests itself in various ways, including restricted access to employment opportunities and advancement, and it can lead to unequal starting salaries and pay raises. This kind of discrimination can also create a hostile work environment in which women are subject to verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and other forms of mistreatment.

Causes of Sexism in the Workplace

For decades, social scientists have studied the root causes of sexism and misogyny. Here are some of the most common reasons for it:

1. Patriarchal cultural beliefs

A patriarchal society is one in which men are given privileged status over women. As such, they are given more social, political, and economic power than them. It is often thought and said that Western societies have thrown off such attitudes, and that its male members see women as their equals. Nothing can be further from the truth. Although significant progress has been made, the structures of organizations in Europe and America still favor men.

Women, for example, are still punished financially and career-wise for having children. Men are still viewed as being stronger, smarter, and tougher and thus more fit to occupy positions in management and leadership. And women are still denied the opportunity to fill roles traditionally occupied by men.

2. Objectification of women

The way women are portrayed in the public sphere effects the way they are perceived and treated by their male counterparts. Hypersexualized images of women on television programs, films, and magazines overemphasize their physical aspects; they become mere objects for men to fawn over, protect, and desire. This demeans and de-humanizes women. Men who are exposed to such images from the time they are boys find it hard to accept their women colleagues as full and equal human beings.

The objectification of women leads not only to discrimination, but also to sexual harassment and assault. If your boss or co-workers see you as a sexual object, they will try to make advances. Once rebuffed, they may continue to pester you until you are no longer able to work and be productive in the workspace.

3. Preferential treatment

Sexism is also caused by preferential treatment. Men who come into a supervisory position with an innate bias toward other men will overlook more qualified women. This may include hiring a man for a job that should have been given to a more qualified woman. This kind of behavior can also include offering men better working conditions, higher salary for doing the same work, and more advancement opportunities.

The First Step is the Hardest Step

If you have been unfairly denied pay and advancement or are regularly subject to mistreatment and harassment, you should do something about it. However, you may be reticent to take that first step-and with good reason: you have everything to lose and very little to gain. Every woman who has ever contemplated coming forward with a complaint understands this.

You joined the company to put your skills and talent to work and to be fairly compensated for it. You do not want to cause trouble, you do not want to be known as the woman who complains about harassment and unfair treatment, and you do not want to spend your time arguing and making statements against your co-workers. The fear of losing not only your job but the respect of your co-workers, and perhaps even being blacklisted in the industry, makes you reticent to speak out.
However, if you don't act, the unfairness and mistreatment will continue and the perpetrators of it will probably be promoted and allowed to do the same things in a larger and more systematic way.

How to Respond to Sexism in the Workplace

Before you do anything, you should carefully review your company's policy on how to report such discrimination. You want to make sure that you do everything properly so the people responsible for the discrimination do not get off on a technicality.

If you are permitted to report the offending person to your supervisor, then you should do so. If the person who has engaged in sex discrimination is your supervisor, then you will probably need to go directly to Human Resources. You may be able to get the issue resolved informally. This is the best outcome for all concerned. However, if the problem persists, then you may need to launch a formal complaint. At this point, the company is on the hook for acting to resolve the problem.

Legal Action

If the company fails to resolve your complaint in a way that is satisfactory to you, then you should hire a gender discrimination attorney. West coast employment lawyers specialize in helping people stand up for their rights against powerful corporate and public interests. West coast employment lawyers know how to manage situations like yours without putting you at risk.

You need not file a lawsuit straightaway. In fact, before you can take legal action you will need to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This federal body will conduct its own investigation. If it has found wrongdoing, it will send its findings to your attorney along with an authorization to sue.

Your gender discrimination lawyer may want to launch their own investigation into the company. In addition to your statement, they will want to get statements from other women in the company-present and past employees who may have been similarly mistreated. Only when your gender discrimination lawyer has gathered enough evidence will they approach the company itself to negotiate a fair settlement. Depending on the nature of the wrongdoing, you may be entitled to compensation, a promotion, or re-instatement if you were unjustly fired.

Such a settlement can be negotiated without filing a lawsuit. The company will want to avoid the latter. They will want to resolve things informally. However, if they drag out negotiations or attempt to put pressure on you to accept an unfair settlement, then your attorney will advise you to file suit. This will put pressure on them, as they will probably want to avoid a jury trial-especially if the EEOC has found against them.

The bottom line is that you should not put up with sex discrimination in the workplace. If you have been the target of such behavior and have exhausted your options within the company, then you should seek legal counsel.