Gender Discrimination Definition

Characteristics

• Gender discrimination is any unequal treatment based on gender and may also be referred to as sexism. Characteristics of gender discrimination are any situation where a person shows a prejudice towards another that would not occur had they been the opposite sex.
  
  

Application

• Sexism has historically been enacted most often to the detriment of females, but it can apply to males as well. Gender discrimination can also extend to transgender people.
  
  

Identification

• Gender discrimination can apply most commonly to workplace scenarios, but can also apply to educational rights, in household gender roles and in community and organization roles.
  
  

Forms

• Most frequently, it involves being denied an opportunity such as a promotion, position, scholarship, credit or a loan. It can also be used to describe receiving or failing to receive a punishment on the basis of gender.
  
  

Legislation

• The United States government enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to combat gender discrimination. A section of the Civil Rights Act was amended in 1978 with the Pregnancy Discrimination Act to protect the interests of pregnant females in the workforce.