What is caregiver discrimination? Caregiver discrimination, which is also known as family responsibilities discrimination, is sort of what it sounds like. It’s when an employer takes some action against you based on a stereotype of how he or she thinks a caregiver is going to operate in the workplace.
For instance, let’s suppose that you’ve had one child and you’re about to have your second, and your boss lets you go and tells you that it’s really difficult to have multiple children and that, you should really be, someone should be at home with them. Well, that’s not based on your actual performance at work, that’s not based on your qualifications. That’s based on his or her stereotype of how somebody who is a parent is supposed to act.
The same thing could apply to someone with a disabled parent at home or with a child with disabilities. If your employer takes action against you because they believe simply because you have children or because you have somebody at home that you need to care for that you’re going to be less effective. That’s illegal under Federal Law which covers any employer that has 15 or more employees. Those types of actions are illegal, and fortunately they are prevalent in many workplaces today.
So if you feel like you have been a victim of that, know that you have protection under Federal Law and take steps to educate yourself by doing what you’re doing now. By coming to this website or by looking for other resources like worklifelaw.org. It’s a great website for information on caregiver discrimination because there are steps that you can take to put yourself in a better place. And I wish you the best of luck.
