Atlanta Employment Attorneys Blog
Although many things have changed in American society over the past 15 years, views on gender inequality in the workplace haven’t seemed to change too significantly. According to moneytalksnews.com, a poll of 1,000 conducted this April by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal found that little had changed since a similar poll was conducted over 15 years ago in 1997. The poll revealed that an overwhelming majority of women still believe that they are discriminated against at work on the basis of their gender. However, your Atlanta employment lawyer notes that there were signs of optimism that were not present in the previous poll in terms of the ability of a woman to effectively balance her work and home life.
The latest poll revealed that 84% of the women surveyed thought that men get paid more for similar jobs, and 2/3 of the men surveyed agreed. Furthermore, 46% of women participating in the poll said that they personally have faced some sort of gender discrimination.
Government statistics generally support women’s views about inequalities in pay between the genders. Women who work full-time earn about 79% of the amount that men do. According to data from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, average earnings for women are lower than average earnings for men in almost every occupation.
Despite these statistics, 38% of women under the age of 35 think that they can adequately balance work and home life without making any major sacrifices; only about 1/3 of women between the ages of 35 and 54 agreed. Contrarily, in 1997, 78% of women thought that balancing work and home life was impossible, while the latest poll revealed, only 66% of women think this balancing act is impossible.
Ironically, the number of men who thought that the U.S. would be better off with more female politicians in office increased from the 1997 poll, while the number of women who agreed decreased. 59% of men in 1997 were in favor of more female politicians, while 62% of men in 2013 were in favor of more female politicians. Conversely, 77% of women in 1997 voted in favor of an increased female presence in government, as opposed to 69% of women today.
Under federal law, gender is an illegal basis for an employer to make distinctions between pay grades, benefits, and other conditions of employment. Therefore, to the extent that an employer pays two employees in the same position differently solely based upon gender, gender discrimination is likely to have occurred. Gender discrimination also may occur in the context of hiring, promotions, terminations, raises, bonuses and the like.
If you have experienced what you believe to be gender discrimination in the workplace, or if you, as an employer, are facing a claim of gender discrimination, you will need the assistance of a qualified Atlanta employment lawyer right away. Contact the law firm of Parks, Chesin & Walbert today for an appointment, and see what options are available to you.