Workers should receive fair wages based on their job performance, the success of their employer and prevailing wages across the industry. Employers should not treat workers differently because of protected characteristics, including their sex.
Despite both federal and California state laws ensuring fair wages for female professionals, the unfortunate reality is that men tend to earn more than women across every industry. Even women who are ambitious and who assert themselves regularly in the workplace could be receiving less than their male counterparts.
How can female workers who learn that they receive unfairly low wages address their concerns?
Communicating with female co-workers
In many cases, wage discrepancies persist across entire departments or even the entire staff roster for an organization. A female professional who learns that male coworkers earn more than she does for the same job responsibilities may want to check in with some of her coworkers.
Those employees may be able to provide additional insight, possibly by verifying that they also receive lower wages than their coworkers. Wage-related lawsuits are often more effective when there is a pattern of behavior and proof that multiple employees face the same unfair pay.
Contacting an attorney
In a perfect world, female workers receiving unfairly low wages could simply report the matter to a supervisor or someone in human resources. The company could then adjust the female worker’s wages to bring them in line with what their male coworkers earn.
Unfortunately, people who speak up about employment law violations often face retaliation instead of receiving support. Their employers may start returning poor performance reviews or writing them up for minor infractions. In some cases, employers may even find excuses to terminate workers who draw attention to unfair pay practices.
Consulting with an attorney before communicating with an employer can help a worker understand her legal protections and document the situation in case she faces unfair retaliation. An attorney can help the employee communicate with her employer.
An attorney representing a female worker can act to quickly respond if the company illegally retaliates in response to complaints about imbalanced wages. In some cases, litigation may be necessary. Other times, companies may correct the issue when they know that female professionals are serious about addressing unfair pay practices.
Knowing how to respond to the discovery that male coworkers earn more can help women address unfair pay practices that violate the law.