6 min read

Workplace Discrimination

Federal law protects you from being treated worse at work because of who you are — race, sex, age 40+, disability, religion, national origin, pregnancy, or genetic information.

Protected classes under federal law

Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Equal Pay Act, and GINA together protect workers from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age 40+, disability, and genetic information.

What counts as discrimination

Discrimination can be obvious (slurs, refusing to hire someone because of their religion) or subtle (passing over older workers for promotion, paying women less for the same work, scheduling around someone's race). It can be a single major event — like firing — or a pattern of smaller actions.

Disparate treatment vs. disparate impact

Disparate treatment is when you're treated differently because of your protected class. Disparate impact is when a neutral policy hits one group much harder than others without a strong business reason — like a height requirement that screens out most women.

Red flags to watch for

Comments about your age, accent, religion, or pregnancy
Being passed over for promotions you're clearly qualified for
Hearing that 'we want a different look' for client-facing roles
Pay or schedule differences that line up with race, sex, or age

Next up

Workplace Harassment