Many people think of workplace gender discrimination as obvious. There certainly are situations in which it becomes evident that an employer is intentionally engaging in systemic discrimination against an entire gender.
For example, company-wide pay discrepancies between the different genders, as well as a dearth of one gender or the other in important, executive or managerial roles is a warning sign that the company doesn't offer equal opportunities for both genders.
However, those aren't the only warning signs of a workplace that discriminates against employees of a certain gender. There are other red flags that are more subtle that you need to be on the lookout for if you want to stand up for your rights as an employee.
Skewed or biased dress code or appearance policies
Dress codes and rules about work appearances are often cited in cases of workplace racial discrimination. Employers may act as though the natural appearance of people of certain backgrounds somehow is less professional then the appearance of others. Unfortunately, the same approach can apply to the treatment of either gender in the workplace.
If your employer has a handbook with pages of rules regarding how to appropriately dress for one gender and only a few rules for the other, that may be a subtle form of discrimination by holding one gender to a more rigorous or unrealistic standard.
An example of an unfair and potentially discriminatory policy could be requiring female employees to wear makeup. Male employees are just as likely to suffer from skin conditions like acne. If an employer demands makeup, then the rules should apply to both genders, not single out members of just one.
Company culture only really includes members of one gender
When most or all of the management or executive team at a company belong to the same gender, it can quickly result in a hostile work environment for members of the other gender.
The team may begin to engage in gendered activities that skew toward men or women predominantly in social and networking environments. That can result in an increased difficulty for a member of the other gender to secure advancement with the company.
Other workers that share your gender are unhappy or frustrated with work
Issues affecting a number of people indicate a systemic problem. If you are the only person working at the company who is unhappy with the culture, that could simply be a sign that you are not a good fit with the business.
However, if you find that many people who share your gender experience the same frustrations with your employer, then that could be a sign that there is something systemically wrong with your place of work in Fort Lauderdale.