State and federal laws prohibit all types of discrimination in the workplace, including holding someone’s sex against him or her. Unfortunately, however, not all employers and workers uphold these laws, which may result in you facing unnecessary and illegal mistreatment in the workplace.
If you feel your employer discriminated against you because of your sex, you may act to protect yourself and your rights.
Reporting sex discrimination in the workplace
You may file a formal sex discrimination complaint if you believe your employer treats you or treated you unfairly due to your sex. For example, this may include harassment or other mistreatment because of your sexual orientation, gender identity or due to pregnancy. Before you may pursue legal action against an employer for discrimination, you must file a formal charge of discrimination with the EEOC.
Filing a formal complaint
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, you may file a charge of discrimination based on sex in one of several ways. You may make your complaint online through the EEOC’s public portal, in person at an EEOC office, by telephone or by mail. You may also choose to report your complaint with a state or local fair employment practice agency.
The EEOC imposes time limits on filing discrimination claims. Generally, you may make a formal report about alleged sex discrimination in the workplace within 180-calendar-days of the purported incident. In some cases, you may have up to 300-calendar-days to make your complaint.
Protecting yourself and your rights
Ultimately, the decision regarding how to handle alleged discrimination based on sex in the workplace falls to you, the purported victim. You may choose to attempt to address the situation within your workplace chain of command, or you may decide to take more formal action against your employer.
