New York Employment Lawyer Blog

A women’s place is in the kitchen. Did I catch your attention with that stereotype? Thought so. Sexual stereotyping is an employment issue in New York and other states that men and women often struggle with. Simply put, women and men must be held to the same behavioral standards at the workplace. When this does not happen, there is a name for it: sexual stereotyping.

In the employment context, sexual stereotyping can result in lost promotions and other types of unfair job limitations. Interestingly enough, the legal profession is often guilty of sexual stereotyping, especially when it comes to promotions.

So what does a sexual stereotype look like? If a woman is being told that she is too macho and needs to take a more feminine approach to her style and overall appearance before she can be promoted to partner, then she is having stereotypes illegally used against her.

Or if a man is told to stop acting in a feminine way and speak with a deeper voice at work, that is also a form of sexual stereotypes.

Everyone is different and that diversity is what makes for a great work environment. When colleagues and employers are asking an employee to better fit within their gender role, there is a sexual stereotyping issue, especially when a promotion is contingent on conforming to certain gender roles. There are legal implications for an employer that demands this type of conformity from his or her employees. The first step to stopping this stereotyping is to speak out against it. If that doesn’t work, give us a call.