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Women continue to face workplace discrimination

On Behalf of | May 29, 2018 | Workplace Discrimination |

Despite the media attention paid to the #MeToo movement and sexual harassment on the job, many people may expect that women in the Houston area have few concerns about gender discrimination on the job. However, regardless of industry, workplace discrimination remains a serious problem, not only for women in high-profile industries like entertainment and politics, but for women in jobs of all types. One survey showed that while there have been some significant advances secured by women in the workplace, other factors have remained serious problems that have shown little improvement since 1999.

Positive factors in the survey results included the fact that nearly half of the women respondents now outearn their husbands, a major advance over the results from 1999. In addition, women have made significant inroads into traditionally male-dominated industries. For example, the software, IT, trucking and STEM fields have seen double- and triple-digit increases in the percentage of women in the field. However, other workplace discrimination issues continue to pose major problems for even these higher-earning and high-achieving women.

Nearly half of the respondents noted that women were not treated equally to men in their workplaces by either men or other women. Indeed, they reported that other women often treated female employees poorly. Another half of the respondents said that they had personally been discriminated against because of their gender at work or had been subjected to unwanted sexual advances and harassment. Perhaps even more concerningly, a large number of respondents said they saw little action or change in their workplaces regarding these issues.

Workplace discrimination and sexual harassment may be all too common, but they are also violations of the law. Many women worry about how they can take action and are concerned about protecting their job against the threat of retaliation. An employment lawyer may be able to help victims of discrimination to review their options, file complaints and seek justice.

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