Discrimination takes on many forms and can violate different laws based on how individuals choose to treat each other. At the federal level as well as within the state of Illinois, it is illegal to discriminate against individuals based upon their being part of specific classes or groups. One of those classes is sex.
Sex discrimination in the workplace can occur when a person is denied an employment opportunity because of their sex. This can include being hired, promoted, given improved compensation or benefits, or other actions that are extended to others. Sex discrimination can also include limiting the type of work that members of a particular sex can do, denying them access to tools or opportunities given to others and many other adverse employment actions.
Sex discrimination has long been a problem for women in the workforce. Longstanding stereotypes have prevented women for generations from being given the right to advance and ascend corporate ladders and strive for seats at the management table. Through legislation that prohibits these damaging forms of discrimination, some parity is being achieved in the workforce.
Women are not the only ones who have suffered sex discrimination at work. Men too can be subjected to discrimination for their sex and can suffer losses in their opportunities because of who they are.
When sex discrimination in the workplace affects how a person is treated, they should remember that they have rights. Consultation with an employment law attorney may help them understand what steps they may take to remedy the wrongs that have been committed by their employers.