Despite the many legal workplace protections, too many workers continue to face discrimination in Florida and across the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court is now hearing several cases addressing discrimination against workers on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. These cases have thrown a light on the general issue of workplace discrimination nationwide. While the Obama administration’s Justice Department and some appeals courts have considered these matters to be a form of sex discrimination, the Trump administration and others disagree.
The #MeToo movement brought attention to sexual harassment on the job. However, there are many other forms of discrimination that women continue to encounter in the workplace. Many of these cases never go to court, and a large number never even see a formal complaint filed with relevant government agencies. In the United States, only around 6% of civil rights cases ever go to trial. Of course, the road to even filing a lawsuit is long. Many workers never complain about unfair treatment because they are concerned about retaliation.
In the past 10 years, some Supreme Court decisions have added further hurdles into the paths of employees filing lawsuits about race, sex, age or disability discrimination. In particular, the ability to bring class-action lawsuits has been undermined, depriving workers of a tool to protest their treatment collectively.
Women continue to face pay inequity, unfair hiring practices, stereotypes about their abilities, pregnancy discrimination and other obstacles that interfere with true equality in the workplace. A worker who has experienced employment discrimination in hiring, promotion or termination may wish to speak with an attorney about their options to take action.