An all male Iowa Court found that it was not sex discrimination to fire an employee for being too attractive. As reported by CNN, a female dental assistant was fired by her male boss for being too attractive. As admitted by her boss, the assistant had been a good employee for the past ten years but he, and his wife, decided that his attraction to the assistant threatened their marriage and fired her. They replaced her with another female employee. In dismissing the case, the court stated that the firing was motivated by feelings, not gender. If this case occurred in New York, the Court would probably not have dismissed the case.
Sex or gender discrimination occurs whenever an employee or prospective employee is subject to different treatment due to their gender. An employer cannot stereotype you based on your gender or sex. Employers are required to treat men and women the same in all phases of the employment process regarding:
- Policies and practices
- Hiring
- Compensation
- Job training
- Layoffs
- Promotions
- Working conditions
- Benefits
- Other privileges
Often the terms “sex” and “gender” are interchangeable. However, sex discrimination refers to discrimination based on an individual’s biological identity as male or female while gender discrimination refers to discrimination based on characteristics of an individual that are culturally associated with masculinity or femininity. Gender discrimination is one of the oldest and most prevalent forms of workplace discrimination. It is often subtle, but its impact is very serious.
If you believe that you are being discriminated against at work because of your sex or gender, you should protect your right and consult an attorney.