Gender Discrimination Attorney in Los Angeles
Gender Discrimination in the Workplace is Illegal
We are gender discrimination attorneys in LA. Our employee rights firm has successfully helped many individuals throughout Los Angeles, California, who were told that they either did not have a case or enough evidence to prove gender discrimination.
Working with a Los Angeles Gender Discrimination Lawyer
Employers rarely, if ever, admit to wrongdoing to avoid liability. Do not be discouraged. A skilled gender discrimination attorney can nonetheless help you prove your story and obtain the restitution you deserve.
By contacting our firm, you will gain an advocate on your side that will build your case while remaining supportive throughout the process. You will work with an attorney who will keep you informed and will never be out of touch when needed. Good client relations result in good outcomes.
What is Gender Discrimination?
Gender discrimination occurs when your employer treats you worse because of your sex,
gender related appearance and/or behavior than the other sex. Both men and women can be
victims of gender discrimination. Generally, a case of sex discrimination manifests itself if
gender plays a substantial factor in the discrimination. In other words, if you had been a
member of a different sex you would not have been treated in the same manner. It also occurs
when you suffer an adverse employment action because of your gender.
In some cases, the fact that men and women are both exposed to the same offensive
circumstances at work may not mean that their work conditions are necessarily equally harsh.
The conduct may nonetheless be more demeaning to one gender than the other. For example,
the conduct may be more offensive to women than men or vice versa.
What Legally Qualifies as Gender Discrimination?
Gender discrimination manifests itself in different ways. Below are some examples of gender discrimination:
- You are demoted or fired for actions or attributes your employer tolerates in individuals of the opposite sex
- You earn less than your male counterparts/members of the opposite sex for similar work
- You are passed over for promotion, while members of the opposite sex receive favorable treatment
- You are denied the same opportunities, coveted assignments, and other benefits that other members of the opposite sex receive
- You are subjected to harassment because of your gender
- You are relegated to roles/assignments based on stereotypes associated with gender. For example, women are often relegated to supporting roles while leadership positions are reserved for male counterparts.
- You have to take on more responsibilities than your male counterparts for the same pay
- You earn less for substantially the same work than your counterparts of the opposite sex
- You are chosen for a layoff while members of the opposite sex with less seniority,
experience, and lower performance are allowed to remain - You are excluded from meetings, trainings, and events that impact your advancement and
ability to do your job
This is not a complete list of all the examples of gender discrimination. The manner in which
gender discrimination manifests itself may also depend on the industry. Gender discrimination
continues to permeate all industries including but not limited to the technology sector, the
medical field, the entertainment industry. No industry is immune.
Persons Whose Conduct May Create a Hostile Work Environment Because of Gender
Supervisors, coworkers, and nonemployees such as clients may create a hostile work
environment. If an employer is aware that its customers or clients are engaging in
discriminatory or harassing behavior but fails to take prompt and appropriate action, your
employer may be liable.
How to Prove Gender Discrimination
The proof you need depends on the facts of your unique situation. You should contact our
gender discrimination attorneys for a free and confidential consultation about your
circumstances. Evidence relating to the following may be of help:
- Discriminatory treatment: The frequency and severity of discriminatory treatment is
directly relevant to your claims. - Good performance: Generally, employers look for a pretext to perpetuate gender discrimination such as including but not limited to attacks on your performance or set ups for failure. Keep track of your accomplishments, output volume, and any other indicators of good performance, including all related records and communications may be relevant.
- Comparator evidence: Any evidence indicating that members of the opposite sex were treated more favorably relating to their terms and conditions of employment.
- “Me Too”/Other Victims: You may not be the only one. There may be other men and women who suffered from similar discriminatory behavior who can lend support or share their experience.
- Employer’s failure to investigate: An employer’s response to your complaints may constitute evidence of condemning discriminatory behavior or an active cover-up.
Just as your employer keeps a file on you, please keep a file of all important documents and
records relating to your employment and any discriminatory or illegal actions.
When to Call a Gender Discrimination Attorney?
The best course of action is to contact a gender discrimination attorney for a free and
confidential consultation relating to your rights at your earliest opportunity. No fees, unless we
win. While we do not represent individuals on a pro bono basis, we are paid from any
settlement or outcome so please do not let financial considerations discourage your from
having an advocate on your side. Because your employer is not acting alone, you should not
either.
What to Do If You Experience Gender Discrimination at Work?
There is no one fits all solution.
Depending on your situation, below are some steps you can take:
- Submit an Internal Complaint: Your workplace likely has an employee handbook that
sets out a grievance procedure for complaints and an anti-discrimination policy. Many
employers also have an “Open Door” policy that encourages you to submit complaints in
person. While both verbal and written complaints must be taken with the same
seriousness, we encourage you to submit a complaint by email and keep a copy of your
complaint and any responses thereto to avoid a scenario where employer denies
receiving verbal notice of any wrongdoing.- Sometimes employers blame the victim of not reaching out by claiming that employer
took reasonable care to prevent and correct promptly any discriminatory behavior (by e.g., implementing a grievance process) but the employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of the preventative and corrective opportunities provided by the employer to avoid harm otherwise. - However, in some cases, where an employer fails to take the grievance process seriously an employee may be excused from using this grievance process
- Sometimes employers blame the victim of not reaching out by claiming that employer
- File a Claim with an Administrative Agency: The Department of Fair Employment and Housing as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is charged with
investigating claims of gender discrimination and/or hostile work environment based on sex. An attorney should guide you through this process especially since your employer will likely act with assistance of counsel. - Hire a Gender Discrimination Attorney to Negotiate a Severance Package or File a
Lawsuit: Sometimes a situation is beyond repair despite informal efforts to neutralize
the hostility. A peaceful parting of ways may be the best course. A victim may also seek
full restitution by pursuing a formal legal action.
During the consultation process, we will weigh the risks and benefits of your options and may
even come up with additional solutions. You do not have to face this alone without an
advocate on your side. We offer support and effective representation.
Retaliation for Reporting Gender Discrimination
Employers often respond to accusations of gender discrimination by taking the offense is the best defense position accusing you of misconduct instead of investigating reported civil rights violations. If you are retaliated against for complaining of gender discrimination, then you may have an additional claim of retaliation. You may also have an additional claim of defamation if your earned reputation is attacked.
Types of Compensation Available to Los Angeles Gender Discrimination Victims
- Loss of past and future earnings
- Damages on impact to your career trajectory
- Compensation for emotional and mental distress
- Penalties
- We can also seek injunctive relief prohibiting employer from continuing to violate the law
- Any other relief the Court deems necessary and/or applicable to your case
Gender Discrimination FAQ
Yes. Gender discrimination laws protect men and women equally.
Individuals who lost their job are often unable to pay legal fees and court costs to pursue their claims. We represent individuals on a contingency basis, meaning we are not paid legal fees unless we win.
For some gender discrimination claims, you cannot sue your employer without first obtaining a Right to Sue letter. We highly recommend that you hire a gender discrimination attorney to assist you throughout every step of the process.
A hostile work environment on the basis of sex is another form of gender discrimination.
Gender based harassment is not limited to conduct that consists of lewd acts or sexual
advances. The law protects you from all conduct that is discriminatory because of your sex.
Harassment on the basis of sex need not be motivated by a sexual desire. Any conduct that is
more demeaning of one gender than the other may give rise to a hostile work environment.
For example, female employees working for a teachers’ union had a valid claim of gender based
harassment against the Director of the teachers’ union. The Director was known to shout in a
loud and hostile manner at female employees. The shouting was frequent, profane, and often
public with little to no provocation. The Director also subjected female employees to intense
scrutiny of their work, stood over them to make sure they were working, and promoted general
fear in the workplace. The women alleged a pattern of abuse directed at women. While there
was some evidence of outbursts towards men, these outbursts were not nearly as severe.
Gender discrimination manifests itself in different ways. Because employers are intent on
hiding their discriminatory motives, gender discrimination may not be readily apparent. You
may recognize it because you observe a pattern of discriminatory behavior over time. For
example, the Company promotes lesser experienced male counterparts over women, allows
male counterparts greater responsibility that leads to promotion or punishes women more
severely than men.
While Companies will hire women, you may observe a glass ceiling for women or that women
are relegated to non-leadership position to supporting roles. You may also recognize
discriminatory behavior by listening to the experiences of your co-workers.
Pregnancy discrimination is also extension of gender discrimination. Women returning to work
from pregnancy leave may observe that they are denied opportunities or responsibilities they
previously had.
A gender discrimination attorney may help you evaluate your situation.
