The Gender Gap. Unfortunately, for many women, gender discrimination in the workplace remains a fact of life. In 2015, female full time workers made only 79 cents for every dollar made by men. The “gender gap” exists in almost every industry for which there is adequate data. The glass ceiling is still a very real phenomenon, and every day women are passed over for jobs or promotions, or even fired simply because they are female.

 

At Lawrence & Gerges we have personal reasons to hate gender discrimination in the workplace and have a particular passion for fighting against it in the courtroom. Silvia has personally experienced what workplace discrimination because of gender looks like.  Mark is a father to two teenaged daughters who is committed to making sure they can thrive in the workplace of the future without experiencing that same type of debasing discrimination.

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Gender Discrimination Law in New Jersey. Gender discrimination in the workplace is now expressly prohibited by both state and federal law.

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At the federal level, there are two main laws. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (“Title VII”) prohibits discrimination “with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of . . .sex.”

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The Equal Pay Act (“EPA”) is another federal law aimed at combatting gender discrimination in the workplace. It is specifically aimed at ending the gender gap in wages.  It prohibits pay discrimination based on sex. 

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At the state level, New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”) offers the strongest protection against gender discrimination.  New Jersey courts have interpreted the LAD liberally with the ultimate goal of “eradicating the cancer of discrimination in the workplace.”  It is one of the most progressive anti-discrimination laws in the country applying to public and private employers alike. It applies to all non-federal employers no matter how big or small.

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What is Protected. Title VII and the LAD prohibit any sex-based discrimination in the terms or conditions of employment. Generally, this means that if you are denied a job or a promotion, or suspended, demoted or fired because you are female, you can sue your employer for money damages to compensate for past and future lost wages, emotional distress, attorneys’ fees, and in some cases, punitive damages. You may also have the right to sue if you are subject to sexual harassment that creates a sexually hostile work environment.

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How We Can Help. At Lawrence & Gerges we are passionate about womens’ right to a workplace free of discrimination based on sex. We have successfully represented numerous women (and even men) in gender discrimination cases and are experienced trial lawyers with the background in employment discrimination law who are able to take a case all the way from the investigative phase through settlement or trial.

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If you believe your employer has discriminated against you due to gender, call us at (973)833-4900 for a free consultation at our Springfield Office. If you are comfortable with us, and we believe you have a strong enough case, we will represent you on a contingent fee retainer, meaning we will not ask you for money up front, and will only get paid if and when we get money for you. (See Silvia’s blog, 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Pay a Lawyer in an Employment Case.)

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