Most people may believe that the days of women not being able to hold the same positions as men is long in the past. Sadly, more than 50 years after the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, discrimination against women because of gender still occurs in Texas and across the United States. Those qualified women who are turned down due to gender can turn to the justice system for help against this long-standing problem.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a claim on behalf of five women against an oil drilling company in another state. According to the complaint, the women applied for jobs to work as floor hands on the oil rigs, but they were turned down. The women allegedly all had the proper qualifications to be able to perform the functions of the job.
The women were allegedly told that females were not hired on the rig because it was populated by all men and that women would not fit into the company’s “man camp” mentality. The women also claim they were turned down because they were too attractive. If they were hired, they were purportedly told they would be a distraction to the men, who would be unable to get their work done.
After the claim was filed, a settlement was reached and the women were awarded $400,000. Additionally, the oil rig company is required to make some changes, such as providing discrimination training and adjusting its hiring policies. Similarly-situated Texas applicants who believe that they were turned down for jobs because of their gender or any other protected status have the right to file claims to right the injustices against them. In successful cases, the applicants may be awarded financial relief as deemed just by a civil court.
Source: businessinsurance.com, “Case over hiring women on oil rigs settles; $1.5 million jury award upheld“, Judy Greenwald, April 23, 2015
