What is Employment Discrimination?

Employment discrimination occurs whenever an employee is subject to adverse action (firing, demoting, failure to promote, unequal pay etc.) based on certain characteristics such as their race, color, age, disability, gender, pregnancy, genetic information, religion, sexual orientation or national origin.

Who is protected from employment discrimination?

To have legal protection from discrimination, you must meet two requirements:

  • You are a member of a protected group (see below)

Protected groups are as follows:

  • race
  • color
  • national origin
  • sex
  • age
  • disability  (physical or mental)
  • sexual orientation
  • pregnancy
  • religion
  • citizenship status
  • military status
  • marital status
  • gender identity