For the most part, Park Forest and other middle-class suburbs sprung up in the years after World War II. There were changes in the cities, and changes in workplaces, as well. For the first time, women entered the workforce in large numbers. Back then, women faced considerable discrimination simply because of their gender. A lot has changed since the 1950s, but gender discrimination is still a problem. The persistent male-female pay gap is just one example of this. Many times, gender discrimination is so subtle and deep-seated that it continues for years before someone takes action.
At the Law Office of Mitchell Kline, our Park Forest gender discrimination attorneys believe that all workers should have equal footing in the workplace, regardless of gender. So, we take prompt, decisive action to correct these matters. Because of our aggressive stance, we often produce results which exceed our clients’ expectations.
The 1964 Civil Rights Act specifically prohibited gender discrimination, along with racial, sex, national origin, and other types of discrimination. Yet these problems persist more than 50 years later.
As mentioned, gender discrimination often involves legal misogyny. Discriminatory practices have been tolerated and encouraged for so many years that employers do not realize they are wrong. Some examples include:
Legally, these types of discrimination often involve disparate impact claims, as opposed to disparate treatment. Disparate impact is essentially indirect discrimination. Certain policies affect certain groups, such as men or women, in certain ways.
Disparate treatment, on the other hand, is essentially direct discrimination. Disparate treatment claims are common if there is “smoking gun” evidence of direct discrimination against an individual due to that individual’s protected status.
Most discrimination victims first approach internal human resource workers. Sometimes, the company honestly does not know a given practice is discriminatory. Other times, company officials know there is a problem, but they believe workers do not know their rights. An HR fix is the quickest and easiest solution to a discrimination problem.
If the company refuses to take action, most discrimination victims go to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC is basically the second line of defense in these situations. Federal law tasks this agency with enforcing the Civil Rights Act in employment cases. However, EEOC agents often refuse to pursue discrimination claims, often for reasons which have little or nothing to do with the merits of the claim.
If the EEOC passes on the case, discrimination victims may approach Park Forest discrimination attorneys. The attorneys at the Law Office of Mitchell Kline use all available resources to obtain justice and compensation for employment discrimination victims.
Gender discrimination in any form is illegal in Illinois. For a free consultation with an experienced Park Forest discrimination attorney, contact the Law Office of Mitchell A. Kline. We routinely handle matters in Will County and nearby jurisdictions.
