San Jose Gender & Sex Discrimination Lawyer
California law and federal law prohibit employers in San Jose and throughout the state from discriminating against employees or job applicants on the basis of sex or gender. Unlawful gender and sex discrimination in California can take many forms, including sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination. If you have experienced any kind of adverse action on the basis of sex or gender, or if you are working in a job where sex and gender discrimination has created a hostile work environment, you may be eligible to file a claim today. Contact our experienced San Jose gender & sex discrimination lawyer for more information.
What is Gender & Sex Discrimination in San Jose Workplaces?
Gender and sex discrimination includes any type of discrimination or harassment in employment because of a person’s sex or gender, or assumptions related to a particular sex or gender. Under federal law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits sex and gender discrimination in employment throughout the country, and California state law under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) provides protections that go above those provided by federal law.
Sex and gender discrimination refers to any treatment of a job applicant or an employee in an adverse or unfavorable way on the basis of that person’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, or pregnancy status. State and federal law make it unlawful to discriminate against a person in an aspect of employment for these reasons, including hiring, firing, pay rate, schedule, benefits, training opportunities, layoff decisions, and termination. It is also unlawful to harass a person on any of these bases, and these federal and state laws also prohibit sexual harassment.
Title VII generally protects employees who work for an employer with at least 15 employees, while the FEHA applies more broadly to employers with 5 or more employees.
Common Types of Gender & Sex Discrimination in San Jose
Gender and sex discrimination can take many different forms, including quid pro quo sexual harassment. The following are examples of some common types of gender or sex discrimination in San Jose employment situations:
- Posting a hiring ad seeking only male applicants;
- Posting a hiring ad seeking only cisgender applicants;
- Asking questions during an interview about the applicant’s plans to become pregnant;
- Deciding against offering a job to an applicant after learning about their sexual orientation, or because of their perceived sexual orientation;
- Supervisor demanding sexual favors from an employee, or else threatening to make the employee’s work schedule less desirable (an example of quid pro quo sexual harassment);
- Supervisor offering an employee additional benefits if they submit to the supervisor’s sexual advances (another example of quid pro quo sexual harassment);
- Co-workers or clients making jokes about women;
- Co-worker or client or supervisor engaging in unwanted touching; and/or
- Displaying lewd photographs or other images that are similarly offensive on the basis of sex or gender.
Contact Our San Jose Gender & Sex Discrimination Lawyers Today
If you face sex or gender discrimination in any hiring or employment situation in California, it is critical to find out more about filing a discrimination claim. Sex and gender discrimination are pervasive, but you can take action with help from an attorney at Venardi Zurada LLP. Contact our experienced San Jose Lyft gender & sex discrimination lawyer today to find out about your options.