One of the best parts of being an American is the fact that we receive a host of incredible protections against discrimination. In fact, not all countries protect their workers like this, and their citizens have to endure age, gender, pregnancy and other forms of on-the-job discrimination when applying for work or carrying out their employment duties.
Here is a brief list of the most common types of discrimination that U.S. workers face on a daily basis, but — if they knew their legal rights — they could put a stop to the discrimination immediately while seeking legal protection from retaliation.
Age discrimination
Imagine you’re 45 years of age, and you qualify for a job opportunity, but the business says it only wants to hire 20-something workers. This is age discrimination. It’s unlawful and the business could face legal repercussions for limiting the age of its workers like this. In addition, wages and other benefits, firing, promotions and certain actions at work cannot be age-dependent.
Religious discrimination
It doesn’t matter if your faith is Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jew, Pagan, Mormon or something else. Your employer cannot treat you differently because of your religious beliefs.
Gender discrimination
Federal law protects men, women, transgender individuals, and gender-neutral individuals from any kind of gender-based discrimination. In fact, your employer must view you the same as any other employee regardless of what gender you or your coworker happens to be.
Pregnancy discrimination
Countless women lose their jobs every year because they became pregnant. Other pregnant women face various forms of discrimination on the job. This is unfair and it’s unlawful.
Hostile work environment claims
In many cases, the above types of discrimination lead to the abused person being in a hostile work environment, where co-workers behave offensively, throw insults or create stressful hardships for the victim. Whether the victim of discrimination finds him- or herself in a hostile work environment, or simply loses his or her job based on a protected status, legal strategies could be available to help the victim seek justice.