The state of California and the federal government have passed many laws to help keep employees safe while at work. One way these laws help to protect employees in California is by outlawing workplace discrimination. Under these employment laws, employers cannot discriminate against employees based on a variety of different factors. These include race, religion, national origin, marital status and sex.
Sex discrimination, or gender discrimination, occurs when employers treat employees differently because of their gender. This treatment must be unfair to the employee. Sex discrimination often involves different pay rates, promotion or hiring practices that differ between female and male employees.
Chapman University in Orange, California, recently faced a sex discrimination suit by a former employee. In this case, a female film professor sued the university after she was denied tenure. According to the employee, who had worked at Chapman since 1999, she was denied tenure because she was a woman.
The university, on the other hand, claims that the employee’s tenure review and denial were appropriate under the circumstances. They maintain that no wrongdoing took place.
Those who have suffered from sex discrimination in the workplace have a right to compensation. In these situations, the employee can recover damages for future lost pay, lost promotions and back pay. Furthermore, employees may be able to recover for their pain and suffering and their emotional distress.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Chapman University case recently was settled. Under the terms of the settlement, the university has agreed to pay the film professor $175,000. Furthermore, the university will create a hotline to deal with future discrimination claims, train employees about sex discrimination laws and report any future discrimination to the EEOC.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, “Calif. university settles sex discrimination case,” June 6, 2012