When you leave home for work, you are legally entitled to compensation for your hard work without concern for your age, race, religion, gender or nationality of origin.
Wage or pay discrimination happens when your employer pays you less than your co-workers who perform the same kinds of job duties and they do so based on one of your protected, immutable characteristics. If you are a victim of wage discrimination, you deserve justice.
Examples of wage discrimination at work
To successfully litigate your wage discrimination claim, you’ll need evidence. Here are examples of employer behavior that can amount to wage discrimination:
- A female employee getting paid less than her male co-workers
- An older employee being compelled to contribute more towards their retirement than their younger co-workers
- A female employee receiving less sick leave than her male co-workers
In each of these instances, a worker who has the same qualification and experience may be receiving less pay for performing the same job duties as their co-workers because of discriminatory reasons.
Proving wage discrimination
To prove wage discrimination in California, you’ll need to demonstrate that you were paid less than your co-workers despite having the same qualifications and performing the same job duties. Here are some of the kinds of evidence you can present to prove your case:
- Your qualifications, job description as well as your duties
- A record of your pay as well as that of your co-workers in a similar role
- Any relevant record that shows pay-related discrepancies
Pursuing your rights
Wage discrimination can be a very complicated matter, especially because employee salary is largely a confidential matter. Learning more about California’s labor laws with the assistance of an experienced legal professional can help you pursue justice if you believe your employer is unfairly compensating you based on your immutable characteristics.
