Gender Discrimination is also commonly known as sex discrimination. The Federal Title VII and many other state and local laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of one’s gender. The law in place forbids discrimination in hiring, firing, pay, benefits, promotions and assignments, and essentially any term or condition of one’s employment.

Similarly, policies that apply to all employees, but have a negative or “disparate impact” on employees of a certain sex are illegal. Further, these laws also prohibit harassment on the basis of employee’s gender or sex. The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer.

Before an employee can bring a lawsuit against their employer for discrimination, he or she must file a charge of discrimination with a local/state agency or with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, commonly referred to as the “EEOC”.  There are statutes of limitations that require an employee to bring forward their claims within a certain period of time of it occurring. If one feels as if they are being discriminated against on the basis of their gender, they should contact an experienced employment discrimination attorney as soon as possible.