Sex and Gender Discrimination 

Pursuing Justice for Employees Subjected to Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment

Today, parents are both working to provide for themselves and their children. No family can make ends meet with paychecks made smaller by sex and race discrimination. It's simple justice, and AFSCME will fight until every woman and every man is paid a fair wage for a fair day's work.

William Lucy, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer

Much progress has been made in the area of women's rights. However, the glass ceiling still exists and women are still facing workplace discrimination in many forms. Women may be paid less than the men in their office. They may be sexually harassed by employers, co-workers or customers. They may be discriminated against because of pregnancy, or otherwise treated unfairly by virtue of their sex.

Men are not immune from employment discrimination either. When men are discriminated against by employers because of their gender, we call it reverse discrimination.

Whether you are female or male, if you think you have been discriminated against, harassed, or treated unfairly because of your sex, one of our attorneys would be happy to speak with you. Contact us online or call us at 313-964-4454 or 800-221-6021.

You Don't Have to Tolerate Sex and Gender Discrimination

At Miller Cohen, P.L.C., we have been standing up for the rights of employees, injured workers and labor unions for decades. We have the knowledge, experience and skill needed to protect your employee rights and pursue damages for illegal gender discrimination. We confidently handle a wide variety of sex and gender discrimination cases, including:

• Equal Pay for Equal Work: On average, women who work full-time are paid about 77 cents for every dollar paid to men who work full-time. African American and Hispanic women earn even less. On January 29, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The act was an amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act which prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, disability or age. The new law gives workers more time to take wage and pay discrimination cases to court. President Obama noted that:

Equal pay is by no means just a women's issue, it's a family issue...And in this economy, when so many folks are already working harder for less and struggling to get by, the last thing they can afford is losing part of each month's paycheck to simple and plain discrimination.

• Sexual Harassment: This is a type of illegal discrimination based on sex. Sexual harassment in the workplace can take many forms, including unwanted touching or groping, requests for sexual favors in exchange for employment, retaliation against an employee for refusing sexual advances, a hostile work environment because of sexual comments, pornographic/sexually explicit material, obscene jokes and other behavior or conditions which create a sexualized environment.

• Pregnancy Discrimination: Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, it is illegal to discriminate against a woman because of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. Common types of pregnancy discrimination include refusing to hire a woman because of her pregnancy or because of the prejudices of customers, co-workers or others; not allowing a pregnant employee to continue working during her pregnancy; and treating pregnancy differently in terms of health insurance and fringe benefits. In general, an employer cannot treat pregnancy differently than other temporary disability.

• Other Sex and Gender Discrimination: Any adverse employment action taken by an employer on the basis of an employee's gender is strictly prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Michigan laws. This can include termination, demotion or the failure to hire.

Take Control of the Situation — Contact Miller Cohen, P.L.C. Today.

If you think you have been discriminated against because of your gender, our employment lawyers would be glad to provide a free evaluation of your potential claim. If we feel that your claim has merit, we can help you file employment discrimination charges — either as an individual or as part of a group (known as "class action") — with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. When necessary, we will fight for the compensation you deserve for sex and gender discrimination in either state or federal court.

Contact us today for your free initial consultation.