Three Common Types of Workplace Gender Discrimination

An accountant and attorney, Stephen Singleteary has years of experience in the fast-food industry. An accomplished business developer with a history of overseeing companies recognized by Black Enterprise, Stephen Singleteary speaks out against gender discrimination in the workplace. 

This kind of gender discrimination is the unfavorable treatment of a person based on their gender in a work environment. Common forms of this type of gender bias include:

Unequal pay
This is where an employee is paid less than their colleagues of the opposite sex despite working in the same field and having identical experience and expertise.

Positional bias
This is where an employee or job candidate is not given a position due to negative stereotypes about gender roles. This bias plays out when a woman is denied a role as a mechanical engineer, construction worker, or security officer despite her high qualifications, for example, simply because the role is traditionally regarded as a man’s job. 

Sexual harassment
One of the more severe forms of discrimination in the workplace, this takes the form of sexually-obscene comments or requests for sexual favors.

Gender discrimination at work is a federal offense punishable by law under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and the U.S. Code Title 42, Chapter 21 - Civil Rights.