Top-Rated Maryland Gender Discrimination Lawyers
Our Maryland gender discrimination lawyers are dedicated to securing justice for victims of gender discrimination in Maryland. Eric Bachman, Chair of the Firm’s Discrimination Practice, is a pioneer in using civil rights laws to combat discrimination in the workplace. His wins include a $100 million settlement in a disparate impact Title VII class action and a $16 million class action settlement against a major grocery chain. See the December 2018 Women2.com interview of Eric Bachman: A Legal Leg for Women to Stand on in the Workplace.
If you have suffered discrimination, contact us today to find out how we can help you.
To schedule a preliminary consultation, click here or call us at (202) 769-1681.
We handle a wide variety of employment matters in Maryland, including claims of:
- Glass ceiling discrimination;
- Sexual harassment;
- Gender discrimination, including Equal Pay Act claims;
- LGBT discrimination;
- Religious discrimination;
- Disability discrimination;
- Pregnancy discrimination;
- Age discrimination;
- “Quid pro quo” harassment; and
- Constructive discharge.
Click here to see our videos answering frequently asked questions about discrimination and retaliation.
Prevalence of Gender Discrimination
According to a 2017 Pew Research Center survey, four-in-ten working women (42%) in the United States believe that have faced gender discrimination in the workplace, Additional findings include:
- “One-in-four working women (25%) say they have earned less than a man who was doing the same job; one-in-twenty working men (5%) say they have earned less than a female peer.”
- “Women are roughly four times as likely as men to say they have been treated as if they were not competent because of their gender (23% of employed women versus 6% of men), and they are about three times as likely as men to say they have experienced repeated small slights at work because of their gender (16% versus 5%).”
Gender Discrimination in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Jobs
According to a study released by the Pew Research Center in January 2018, gender discrimination remains prevalent in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) jobs. In particular, Pew surveyed more than 4,900 workers in the U.S in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and found that 50 percent of women reported experiencing discrimination in the workplace. The percentage was significantly higher in majority-male workplaces. According to the study, “some 74% of women in computer jobs, such as software development or data science, say they have experienced discrimination because of their gender.”
Maryland Sexual Harassment Attorneys
Recent sexual harassment scandals underscore the fact that sexual harassment is prevalent in the workplace. And according to a recent EEOC report, approximately 40% of women have experienced one or more specific sexually-based behaviors in the workplace, such as unwanted sexual attention or sexual coercion.
Despite companies adopting “zero tolerance” policies, too many powerful officers, managers and supervisors engage in harassment and inflict serious harm on the careers and reputations of their victims. We are committed to aggressively combatting harassment and holding perpetrators accountable.
Based on lessons learned from representing victims of sexual harassment, we have developed a Sexual Harassment Survival Guide for Employees, which can be downloaded for free on our website.
SexualHarassmentSurvivalGuide_sexualharassmentattorneysIf you are confronting harassment in the workplace, it is important to understand your rights. Though every case is unique, we hope that the following answers to common questions about harassment rights and remedies are helpful.
Leading employment lawyer Eric Bachman is frequently quoted in the media about the rights of victims of harassment and workplace discrimination, including in these recent articles:
Although every case is unique, the following frequently asked questions provide an over view of the key legal issues that often arise in sexual harassment cases.
- Can an employer be held liable for customer sexual harassment?
- What damages or remedies are available for victims of sexual harassment?
- What is a hostile work environment?
- Can a single incident of harassment suffice to establish liability?
- How do I prove my workplace is a hostile work environment?
- What is quid pro quo harassment?
- What is workplace sexual harassment?
- In a sexual harassment case, does it matter if it is a supervisor versus a co-worker who is harassing me?
- Who is a “supervisor” in sexual harassment cases?
- How can employees combat harassment at work?
- What is the deadline for filing a sex harassment or retaliation claim?
- What type of retaliation is prohibited against an employee who reports unlawful discrimination or harassment?
- Is an employer prohibited from retaliating against an employee because the employee reported harassment?
- What is an employer’s affirmative defense in a sex harassment case?
Damages or Remedies for Gender Discrimination
More than half a century after Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits gender discrimination, too many women continue to face a glass ceiling blocking them from earning the promotions and other advancement opportunities that they have earned.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the number of female CEO’s among Fortune 500 companies has dwindled to just 5.4% (27 out of 500). This statistic alone helps illustrate the persistent presence of glass ceiling / promotion discrimination within corporate America.
Although the precise structure of a glass ceiling can vary from company to company, its discriminatory effects are undeniable and often devastating to those unable to break through it. And according to one report, the average female employee loses $10,000 per year due to the wage gap between men and women.
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, as well as other federal and state laws, make it illegal for an employer to use promotion practices that create a glass ceiling. Cases brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and others make clear that companies must proactively address promotion discrimination issues. For example, the EEOC sued Outback Steakhouse about the company’s glass ceiling that prevented women from being promoted. The class action case ultimately settled for $19 million in damages.
If you win your case at trial or settle with the company beforehand, several types of remedies may be available. For example:
- Back pay – the difference between what you should have been paid if promoted and what the company actually paid you;
- Compensatory damages – damages to address emotional distress, reputational harm, etc. that you suffered as a result of the company’s refusal to promote you;
- Punitive damages – damages to punish the company if it acted with malice or reckless indifference; and/or
- Make-whole relief – placing you into the higher level position you were unlawfully denied.
To learn more about gender glass ceiling discrimination, download our guide Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Tips for Combatting Promotion Discrimination:
Hiring a Top-Rated Maryland Gender Discrimination Lawyer
Hiring a proven and effective gender discrimination lawyer is critical to obtaining the maximum recovery in a sexual harassment case. Eric Bachman, Chair of the Firm’s Discrimination Practice, has substantial experience litigating precedent-setting individual and class action discrimination cases. His wins include a $100 million settlement in a disparate impact Title VII class action and a $16 million class action settlement against a major grocery chain.
Having served as Special Litigation Counsel in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and as lead or co-counsel in numerous jury trials, Bachman is trial-tested and ready to fight for you to obtain the relief that you deserve.
Bachman writes frequently on topics related to promotion discrimination, harassment, and other employment discrimination issues at the Glass Ceiling Discrimination Blog.
U.S. News and Best Lawyers® have named Zuckerman Law a Tier 1 firm in Litigation – Labor and Employment in the Washington DC metropolitan area.
Maryland Glass Ceiling Discrimination Attorneys
Maryland Sexual Harassment Attorneys
Know Your Rights: Gender Discrimination and Retaliation
Discrimination
- I think I was discriminated against at work. What should I do now?
- Are there hiring requirements that apply nationwide or statewide?
- What is a protected class?
- What kinds of workplace discrimination are illegal?
- Is all discrimination unlawful?
- What types of employment actions do anti-discrimination laws cover?
- What is glass ceiling discrimination?
- If a coworker performs the same job as I do, but has worked with the company longer and gets paid more than me, can I sue?
- My boss yells at me for no reason, can I sue for hostile work environment?
- What is a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) defense?
- What is a hostile work environment?
- What discrimination laws apply if I work in Maryland?
- What is pregnancy discrimination?
- What is religious discrimination?
- What should I do if I was a victim of discrimination at work?
- Are executives and law firm partners covered by Title VII’s employment discrimination protections?
- What is the difference between Title VII and Section 1981?
- Can a single, vile slur could create a hostile work environment under Title VII?
Retaliation
- What is retaliation?
- What is constructive discharge?
- If I complain about harassment and then am retaliated against, what rights do I have?
- Is an employee protected against retaliation for testifying on behalf of a co-worker?
- What if my employer retaliates against me for filing a discrimination claim?
- Is denial of a transfer away from a biased supervisor an adverse action?
- Is an employee protected against retaliation for participating in an employer’s internal investigation?
- Is a negative performance evaluation an actionable retaliatory action or adverse employment action?
- Is it unlawful to fire an employee for exercising a right to obtain an employee benefit?
Employment Lawyers Representing Employees in Maryland
Our office is located in Chevy Chase, but we represent employees in discrimination and other employed-related litigation in several Maryland cities, towns and municipalities, including:
- Bethesda
- Chevy Chase
- Rockville
- Silver Spring
- Kensington
- Frederick
- College Park
- Frederick
- Columbia
- Gaithersburg
- Garrett Park
- Glen Echo
- Greenbelt
- Greensboro
- Kensington
- Laurel
- New Carrollton
- Somerset
- Takoma Park
Zuckerman Law has outlined what is required to prove gender discrimination when filing your case. Visit the page “how to prove gender discrimination”
ABOUT ZUCKERMAN LAW
Summary
We are a Washington, DC-based law firm that represents whistleblowers in whistleblower rewards and whistleblower retaliation matters and litigates discrimination claims on behalf of employees in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. The firm is dedicated to zealously advocating on behalf of our clients to achieve justice and accountability.
-
Professionalism
(5)
-
Honesty
(5)
-
Perseverance
(5)
In my line of work I have had to deal with many attorneys but I can honestly say that being represented by Eric Bachman was a pleasant experience. From the moment of engagement thru the conclusion of my case Eric kept me fully informed even while away on vacation with his family (which was completely unexpected). Eric was a no nonsense, extremely knowledgeable, compassionate and patient throughout the process standing by me until we reached a conclusion allowing me to turn this very difficult page so that I can move on to the next chapter of my life. Very grateful I had the best on my side and would highly recommend Eric Bachman.