Many people associate Title IX with the protections it provides to students. However, Title IX provides protections for faculty and staff as well. It applies to federally funded institutions, which include school districts, public and private elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, libraries, and museums. If you work for one of these institutions, you need to know how this applies to your employment and what protections it can provide if you face discrimination.
There are various laws that help protect employees from discrimination in the workplace, and which one applies to your situation will vary. The employment discrimination attorneys at Brown Kwon & Lam can help you understand your Title IX employee rights and what actions need to be taken to get you the fair treatment you deserve.
What is Title IX?
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex for institutions that receive federal funding. The creation of Title IX helped to provide more opportunities for girls and women in education, such as an increase in female students participating in school sports.
How Does Title IX Affect Employees?
Title IX is one of the many laws that help protect employees from discrimination and sexual harassment. This applies to any faculty and staff employed by federally funded institutions, including teachers, coaches, graduate teaching assistants, and work-study students. It provides additional protections in more specific situations than other federal laws that protect employees from discrimination, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Discrimination
Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in employment, such as in recruitment, payment, classification, evaluation, and benefits. This also covers disparate treatment and disparate impact, meaning that employees cannot be treated differently from others due to their sex or be negatively affected by a facially sex-neutral policy or practice. It also protects employees from facing discrimination due to their parental or marital status and prohibits sexual harassment.
In limited situations, an employee’s sex could be considered a bona fide occupational qualification that is an essential aspect of their employment.
Retaliation
Employees have the right to report violations and are protected from retaliation under Title IX. This is not limited to employees who report these violations. It also includes those who testify, assist, or participate in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing. If an employee suffers an adverse employment action following engaging in protected activity that there was no other legitimate cause for, they may have a retaliation claim.
Get Help from NYC Title IX Employment Discrimination Attorneys
Understanding what your employee rights are and what laws protect you from employment discrimination can be confusing. However, you deserve fair and equal treatment in the workplace, and if you don’t receive this, you may need an employment discrimination attorney. At Brown Kwon & Lam, we can help protect your rights and get justice when they’ve been violated. If you’re employed by a federally funded institution and have been discriminated against based on your sex, don’t hesitate to contact us for help.