Each year, hundreds of thousands of Americans are victims of employment discrimination. These cases go unreported and unaddressed by the government, which means that many unjust firings and denied promotions continue to go unchecked. Georgia has taken steps to protect employees from being discriminated against, but this does not mean there are no more cases. Take a look at these five facts about how much employment discrimination still happens in Atlanta, and stay vigilant for any red flags you may see in your own work environment as well.
1. Income and race make a difference
In the United States, white people make on average $21.03 an hour while African American workers earn $15.72 on average. Hispanics earn $16.04 an hour and Asians are compensated at $19.98 per hour. Those who identify as members of two or more races make on average $17.87 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
If you have been denied a promotion, the reason may be due to the fact that you are not a member of a specific race, or because your salary is lower than those of your coworkers who are members of one.
2. Women are discriminated against, too
The BLS has found that in terms of gender, women earn on average 73 cents per dollar men earn. This amounts to a difference of roughly $10,000 per year. A common reason cited for this difference is the fact that women are more likely to take time away from work in order to start a family, and many workplaces fail to recognize or compensate for this.
On top of this, mothers face negative effects due to the lack of paid maternity leave in the United States. This can be a direct result of their maternity leave being unpaid, longer than average or both. A recent study found that women experience stress and anxiety as a result of juggling work and family life while those with paid leave tend to report higher job satisfaction.
3. Age discrimination exists
Getting old has its perks, but it also comes with certain challenges. According to the BLS, workers over 40 earn on average $33.94 an hour while those in their 20s earn on average $35.61 an hour. This could be related to people finally reaching a certain age threshold being promoted into positions they may have been passed over for previously.
In terms of race, older black workers make on average $34.06 an hour while Caucasian workers’ average is just more than that at $35.65 per hour. African Americans who are 40 and older make nearly 50 percent less money than Caucasian workers who are the same age, according to a recent study by The Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Asians over 45 make $37.48 an hour, on average, while those in the same age range earn $41.64 per hour.
4. The job market is getting tougher
The unemployment rate has been steadily declining for quite some time now, but it still remains slightly high at 5 percent according to the BLS. Looking ahead, economists are predicting that this will likely continue to drop as long as interest rate hike remains low and people continue pursuing a higher education. Even so, this may not be enough to keep up with an increasingly competitive job market and those who are most qualified can typically find a way to walk away from a less desirable position if they feel they have too little leverage in the negotiation process.
5. It doesn’t have to be this way
The fact that Atlanta has such a low rate of employment discrimination is an example of how much progress has been made in the fight against discrimination in the workplace. The BLS reported that only 0.03 percent of all workers who were discriminated against in 2016 were African American. This number could not be greater than 199 or less than 1,000, and it does not matter what level the worker happened to be at or their gender identity.
While there are still cases occurring nationwide, this means that most employers are aware of the risk and are concerned enough about it to implement a sensitive hiring process hire a Employment Discrimination Attorney Atlanta.
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