Sex Discrimination in the Executive Workplace

January 04, 2013

Sex discrimination can happen to anyone and can happen anywhere, including at high executive levels and in professions requiring substantial education.

A real life example

One real life example comes from a lawsuit recently filed alleging sex discrimination. The plaintiff is a woman who began working for a well-known venture capital firm in the mid-2000s. The woman has degrees in engineering, law and business and claimed to be a perfect fit for the firm. A year or so after working as a junior partner, she had an intimate relationship with a colleague. When she ended that relationship she believed she was treated differently; she was left out of business meetings and felt undermined in front of clients. She talked to other women and learned that another woman partner suffered the same treatment after ending a relationship with the same individual. The woman also claims that she received a notebook from a senior partner with inappropriate sexual content. She asserts that she spoke with senior partners about her concerns but nothing was ever done to remedy the situation. Instead she claims the firm denied her promotional opportunities that were given to men.

In her lawsuit, the woman alleged that the senior partners at the firm ignored her complaints of discrimination and retaliated by failing to advance her career for raising the discrimination issues.

Sex discrimination occurs in many ways

Discrimination based on sex can occur in many ways. It is more obvious when women are unfairly denied promotions that are given to men. But subtle conduct can also constitute discrimination, including failure to give women opportunities for promotional growth, client contact, or significant accounts as compared to her male colleagues. It also can be signaled by gender-biased comments and exclusion from social and development activities otherwise offered to her male peers.

Consult an employment discrimination attorney

If you are dealing with discrimination based on your sex, contact an experienced discrimination attorney to discuss your rights. Some people think they need a "smoking gun" to prove discrimination, but that is not true. An experienced attorney can help you identify the kinds of evidence that show intent to discriminate. If you think sex discrimination is happening to you, contact an experienced employment law attorney today.

Article provided by Halunen & Associates
Visit us at www.halunenlaw.com