The Impact of Gender Discrimination on Female Employees

Illustration by Neha Marina

Gender discrimination is a form of discrimination in which a person is treated differently or unfairly on the basis of their sex or gender. Gender discrimination in the workplace has become illegal under federal law with the passing of the Civil Rights Act. However, some individuals still experience discrimination based on their gender.

When a woman is paid less than a male coworker for the same work is a well-known example of gender discrimination. Most women are paid less than men who do the same job or work substantially similar to them. This undermines female employees and puts them at a disadvantage in the workforce, and results in a lifetime of lower earnings for equal work. People may also face inequalities in promotion recommendations. This is due to the fact employers are proven to be more in favor of agentic male employees rather than agentic female employees. 

Articles such as Equal Rights Advocates document how female workers are affected by gender discrimination. These inequalities become even more significant when you look at discrimination by both gender and race: women of color experience even more discrimination in the workforce. Black women, in particular, are more vulnerable to being discriminated against as they make up 26% or more of workplace discrimination claims.

Although many female workers face unjust treatment in the workplace due to their gender, documenting and recognizing the issue is an important step to overcome gender discrimination.