Gender Discrimination at Work in Los Angeles and California
Gender discrimination at work can involve different treatment connected to an employee's sex, gender, gender identity, or gender expression. It may appear in hiring, promotions, pay, assignments, scheduling, discipline, performance reviews, or termination.
Not every unfair or inconsistent workplace decision is discrimination. The surrounding facts may matter, including how employees in similar roles were treated, whether standards were applied consistently, what comments were made, and what explanation the employer gave for a decision.
Gender discrimination and sexual harassment can overlap, but they describe different workplace problems. Sexual harassment generally centers on unwelcome conduct, while gender discrimination focuses on unequal treatment in employment decisions. If your concern involves unwanted sexual comments, touching, propositions, or a hostile work environment, our Sexual Harassment page covers that topic in more detail.
Pregnancy-related treatment can also overlap with broader gender concerns, but pregnancy discrimination has its own dedicated page. If pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical issue is central to what happened, see our Pregnancy Discrimination page.
Changes in treatment after an employee raises a discrimination concern can also be relevant. If hours, assignments, reviews, responsibilities, or employment changed after a complaint, our Retaliation page covers that issue in more detail.
If employment ended and gender appears relevant to the surrounding circumstances, our Wrongful Termination page explains that topic separately.
Information that may help show what happened can include emails, messages, performance reviews, pay or promotion records, workplace policies, witness accounts, and the reasons management gave for its decisions. Differences in how employees in similar roles were treated may also provide useful context.
For general information about workplace discrimination, the California Civil Rights Department publishes employee-facing resources. JLG Lawyers represents employees throughout California and can review the facts of a workplace dispute to help identify which employment issues may be relevant.
- Hiring or promotion decisions influenced by gender assumptions
- Pay, bonuses, or advancement handled differently across similar roles
- Unequal access to important assignments, shifts, overtime, or advancement opportunities
- Different performance or disciplinary standards
- Comments or decisions based on gender stereotypes
- Treatment connected to gender identity or gender expression
- Negative workplace changes after raising a discrimination concern
- Termination where gender appears relevant to the surrounding circumstances
- Sexual Harassment
- Pregnancy Discrimination
- Retaliation
- Wrongful Termination
