Discrimination Can Affect Health and Well-Being
On behalf of The Law Offices of Jeffrey E. Goldman posted in employment discrimination on Monday, March 2, 2020.
Gender discrimination on the job affects a wide range of women in New York. After the Harvey Weinstein guilty verdict and the #MeToo movement, many people may believe that sexual harassment and discrimination are falling by the wayside in today’s workplaces. However, discrimination is experienced differently by high-profile executives and women in low-paid service industry jobs, although all of these women are impacted by its effects. Around 40% of American women say that they have been subjected to or witnessed sex discrimination at work, including lower pay for equal work, additional scrutiny in hiring or denied promotions.
The financial cost of workplace discrimination to its victims may be clear; people lose out on income and promotions that can amount to thousands of dollars every year. However, there are also serious mental and physical health effects linked to discrimination. Sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety and other issues may be more common, and these effects may hit harder for women with lower incomes. They may be less likely to have good health insurance plans that make it easy for them to obtain care, and they may have fewer options to take time off.
Women with advanced degrees are more likely to report workplace discrimination. While 7% of women with less than a high school education reported sexual harassment or employment discrimination, 13% of women with masters’ degrees or doctorates reported the same. There may be several factors involved, including the fact that low-wage women are more likely to work in “pink collar” jobs. Sexist assumptions may be built into the job, while missed promotions may be more obvious in a job with more opportunities for advancement.
Regardless of their job title or educational background, women workers continue to be affected financially and physically by workplace discrimination. An employment law attorney may help workers to pursue justice and accountability.