Employment Law
Los Angeles Parental Status Discrimination Lawyers
Trustworthy Legal Counsel
Most people know that employers are not allowed to ask job applicants whether or not they are married, or whether or not they have children. Otherwise, an employer could easily have access to information about your family that might cause them to select an applicant who might require “less time off” than an applicant with a spouse or children. But what happens when you have already been hired?
Unfortunately, many parents find themselves facing parental status discrimination, also known as familial status discrimination. This happens when employers discriminate against employees because of their family or child care obligations. Such discrimination could be in the form of denying promotions, benefits, or equal wages, or could also come in the form of outright harassment and mockery. At King & Siegel LLP, our Los Angeles parental status discrimination attorneys are determined to seek recompense for your pain.
Examples of Parental & Familial Discrimination
There are a significant number of ways you might be subject to discrimination at the workplace simply for having a family. If you notice some of these occurrences at your place of work, reach out to us immediately.
Some of the most common examples of this parental status discrimination include:
- Terminating employees who are pregnant or have asked for time off on account of maternity
- Refusing to promote women who are pregnant or have children at home
- Being inflexible about work schedules for parents who have childcare needs but being more flexible about nonparents’ schedules
- Rewarding single women, women who are not mothers, or men rather than women who are more qualified but also have children
- Making up excuses to justify firing employees with parental duties, including creating “work infractions” or accusations about lack of performance levels
- Giving higher positions to single or married men rather than women who are engaged or married just in case they become pregnant in the future
Fighting Against Parental & Familial Discrimination
This bias is a kind of prejudice that occurs all the time in the workplace, yet it is more difficult to challenge because there are no specific national laws stating that parental status is equivalent to some of the other discrimination-protected classes, such as race or gender. Fortunately, in California, there are specific laws that ban any discrimination on either marital status or on account of childbirth. Therefore, if you can relate your case to either of these protected classes, you will be much more likely to be successful in your claim. In addition, we have come up with innovative arguments to extend protections to workers who are penalized for not living up to outdated gender norms (for instance, for penalizing a father with primary childcare responsibilities, or failing to promote a mother who is outperforming her younger and/or childless female peers).
If you believe you are being discriminated against in the workplace because of your parental status, King & Siegel LLP welcomes you to call our legal team today at (213) 465-4802 for a free review of your case.
Options for Fighting Discrimination
Many states provide few, if any, protection against discrimination based on your parental status. Employees with families who have faced such bias can feel anxious about losing their jobs and livelihood at any moment, which is particularly stressful when you are supporting a family. Thankfully, in the state of California, you have options, especially when you have our Los Angeles parental status discrimination lawyers by your side. You can count on King & Siegel LLP to fight the discrimination you are facing immediately.
Our experienced legal team also handles other types of discrimination cases, including: