Gender Discrimination Attorney

Title VII prohibits sex-based discrimination. The Equal Pay Act requires equal pay for equal work. California's FEHA and Fair Pay Act (Lab. Code § 1197.5) provide strong protections, including for gender identity and expression. New York's Human Rights Law and the NYC Human Rights Law prohibit gender discrimination broadly, covering gender identity, expression, and sex stereotyping.

California's Fair Pay Act is among the strongest, requiring equal pay for "substantially similar work" and prohibiting employers from using prior salary to justify pay differences. New York's Equal Pay Law similarly requires equal pay for substantially similar work. Both states place the burden on employers to justify pay disparities with legitimate factors like seniority or merit.

Retaliation for complaining about gender discrimination is separately illegal under Title VII, FEHA, and New York law. This includes formal complaints to HR, the EEOC, or state agencies, as well as informal complaints to supervisors. Retaliation can include termination, demotion, reduced hours, or any other materially adverse action.

Keep detailed records of: pay disparities (request salary information through CA or NY pay transparency laws), promotion decisions and stated reasons, discriminatory comments, emails or messages reflecting bias, comparators of a different gender who received favorable treatment, and any complaints you made and how they were handled.