A Win for Working Mothers
Some companies do not treat working moms equally. Some think that working moms
have “too much on their plate” at home and don’t give moms the same opportunities at work. Take Laurie Chadwick, a mother of four young children, for example. She had a strong record of success at Wellpoint Inc., even though she had young kids. She scored a 4.40 out 5 in her latest review. But when she applied for a promotion, Wellpoint denied her an instead promoted a less qualified woman without children. Ms. Chadwick sued for sex discrimination.
The federal trial judge threw her case out of court, but the relentless Ms. Chadwick appealed. She found a sympathetic audience with the Court of Appeals and they reversed that pesky trial judge and reinstated her case. Here is what the Court of Appeals said:
"Unlawful sex discrimination occurs when an employer takes an adverse job action on the assumption that a woman, because she is a woman, will neglect her job responsibilities in favor of her presumed childcare responsibilities. ... [A]n employer is not free to assume that a woman, because she is a woman, will necessarily be a poor worker because of family responsibilities. The essence of Title VII in this context is that women have the right to prove their mettle in the work arena without the burden of stereotypes regarding whether they can fulfill their responsibilities."
In Ms. Chadwick’s case, the company made a few telling comments. For example, when she asked why she did not get the promotion, she was told, "It was nothing you did or didn't do. It was just that you're going to school, you have the kids and you just have a lot on your plate right now." And during an interview the promotion, one of the interviewers said, "Oh my -- I did not know you had triplets. Bless you!" This decision in favor of Ms. Chadwick is a great victory and this decision can be used by other working moms who suffer employment discrimination.
