By Matthew Marks on October 19th, 2015 in In The News
Some companies are putting diversity to work and showing its importance requires more than just mere support – setting discrete goals for the business is also important. In fact, a recent Wall Street Journal article reported that Johnson & Johnson has decided to evaluate top managers (and their bonus amounts) based, in part, on diversity metrics. This includes how many women they hired over the prior year. Johnson & Johnson is not alone. Other big companies are putting hard numbers around diversity, including mandating that a diverse pool of candidates are interviewed for positions and ensuring new hires are vetted by non-Caucasian male interviewers.
Changes Are Happening, But Slowly
A recent “Women in the Workplace 2015” study done by LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Co. found that if firms proceed at the current pace when it comes to gender equality in the higher ranks of the company, it is estimated that it will take more than two decades to reach equality at the level of senior vice-president; it is approximated that it will take more than 100 years to reach this parity at the C-Suite level.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating based on gender in several aspects of employment. This includes hiring, firing, pay rate, job assignments, layoffs, promotions, fringe benefits, training, as well as any other term of employment. Unfortunately,
discrimination of others based on gender is not uncommon. Because this particular type of discrimination can take many forms (such as pregnancy discrimination, unequal pay for the same job or sexual harassment), it may not be easily discovered. Moreover, gender discrimination may also take the form of negative treatment because of someone’s connection with an organization or group that is generally associated with a certain sex.
Beyond the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, gender-based discrimination claims are governed by two other federal laws: the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) and the Equal Pay Act (EPA). The PDA, which falls under Title VII, forbids employers from discriminating against women due to pregnancy, other related medical conditions, or childbirth. The EPA, on the other hand, falls under the purview of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and forbids pay discrimination based on gender.
Gender Discrimination Attorney
If you or someone you know believes they are the victim of gender discrimination – or has experienced any other type of discrimination in the workplace – contact the skilled and aggressive gender discrimination attorneys at Ricotta & Marks, P.C. Our legal professionals service the greater New York area in all matters relating to employment law. As such, we can provide sound legal guidance on your case. Contact us today (347) 464-8694 for your free, initial case evaluation today.