Gender Discrimination in the Workplace Statistics Prove the Problem Still Exists

No matter how much we like to see ourselves as progressing towards equality, there is still a gap between the sexes in the workplace.

Gender discrimination remains a reality in many U.S. companies, and only constant effort can bring us closer to eradicating it. Check out DoNotPay’s analysis of gender discrimination in the workplace statistics to see the extent of the problem.

Who Compiles Gender Discrimination Statistics?

The federal agency tasked with enforcing anti-discrimination laws is the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC).

Every complaint of discrimination has to be lodged with the EEOC before you can engage a discrimination lawyer to launch a lawsuit against an employer.

The EEOC is the hub for all discrimination-related information. This information is released in the form of annual reports that list every case of discrimination filed with the EEOC.

The Bottom Line on Gender Discrimination

There were 21,398 complaints of gender discrimination filed with the EEOC in 2020.

This is slightly lower than in previous years—probably as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic—but this number keeps gender discrimination within the top five reasons for discrimination complaints.

The statistics for the most common types of discrimination are as follows:

What Happens to These Cases?

The EEOC has several options for resolving cases it receives.

After careful investigation of all the evidence submitted—both from the plaintiff and the employer—the commission can decide to:

• Dismiss the case
• Suggest mediation, conciliation, or arbitration
• File a lawsuit against the employer
• Issue permission for the plaintiff to begin private legal action

Here are the results of the EEOC’s actions for the last several years:

Cases can be resolved to the plaintiff’s benefit by several routes, namely:

1. Settlement
2. Withdrawal with benefits
3. Administrative closure
4. Conciliation

Settlement

In such cases, the employer chooses to offer a financial settlement to the plaintiff to resolve the matter.

Withdrawal With Benefits

The plaintiff agrees to withdraw the charge and receives compensation from the employer for doing so.

Administrative Closure

The case is closed for administrative reasons—these could include:

• Charges were not filed within 180 days of the discrimination incident
• The employer is too small to fall under the jurisdiction of the EEOC (less than 15 employees)
• The plaintiff withdraws the charge without receiving any compensation
• The plaintiff requests a right to sue in a private capacity

Conciliation

The EEOC suggests and facilitates conciliation between the plaintiff and the employer.

The EEOC achieved the following results when it comes to resolving gender discrimination cases in the workplace:

In terms of payouts in compensation for successfully resolved cases of gender discrimination, 2020 was the most successful year ever for the EEOC.

How Do I Make Use of the EEOC?

Gender discrimination at work can take several forms, the most important being:

• De jure discrimination—your employer has discriminatory policies or procedures in place
• De facto discrimination—acts of discrimination are tolerated or allowed even though anti-discrimination policies may be in place
• Harassment—you suffer any form of sexual, verbal, email, or cyber harassment at work
• Retaliation—you are punished or mistreated for having complained about gender discrimination at work
• Wage discrimination—you are earning less for doing the same work

If you are experiencing any of these examples of discrimination, you should first try to resolve the matter internally by raising the issue officially with your HR department.

Bear in mind that you should keep detailed notes of every incident of gender discrimination—you may need these if your attempts to address the matter with your company fail.

If this doesn’t work, your next step is to file a complaint—called a charge of discrimination—with the EEOC.

However daunting this process may sound, DoNotPay is here to make filing your charge a piece of cake!

What Can DoNotPay Do for Me?

DoNotPay can help you file your complaint with the EEOC in a flash—here’s what you need to do:

1. Sign up with DoNotPay in your web browser
2. Go to our Fight Workplace Discrimination product
3. Give us the details of your case by following the prompts

DoNotPay will take over from here—we will make sure your charge is filed with the nearest EEOC office.

What if I’m Not Experiencing Gender Discrimination?

Discrimination comes in many forms—what you are experiencing at work may fall into other categories as well.

The other categories of workplace discrimination recognized by the EEOC are based on:

• Race
• Age
• Disability
• LGBTQ status
• Religion
• Color
• Nation of origin

Whatever the type of discrimination you are a victim of, the EEOC and DoNotPay are here to help!

Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees, but DoNotPay Is a Close Second

Experiencing workplace discrimination can affect the victim in more ways than one. Filing a report with the EEOC should help, but in reality, people sometimes lose jobs if they stand up to bullies.

If that happens to you, there are several ways how DoNotPay can help. Our app is a great resource for fighting injustice and administration, but it can also help you save and earn money if you lose your regular income:

We Can Help You Fight for Your Rights

DoNotPay was created to support anyone who feels small and helpless in front of big corporations, confusing administration, or downright criminals.

We can help you get a refund even when companies won’t budge, stop email and text message scams, protect your work from copyright infringement, save yourself from stalking and harassment, or even take individuals or companies to small claims court!