Employment laws are put in place with the goal of protecting employees and their rights within an organization. Government agencies strive to eliminate all forms of bias in the workplace. Without having to deal with prejudices from employers and coworkers, employees may feel safer in their offices, work more efficiently, and produce better quality work. There are a variety of types of discrimination that people unfortunately deal with every day. Whether it be based on age, race, disability, gender, or religion, any kind of discrimination can impact a person’s life in a plethora of negative ways. You may have heard of equal-opportunity employment, in which companies and employers are prohibited from discriminating against their employees and are required to be fair and unbiased when it comes to the way they treat their workers. Unfortunately, laws like this do not always properly protect employees. Marital discrimination in the workplace refers to the altered and unfair treatment of an employee or applicant based on their marital status. Martial status discrimination can manifest in many ways. Examples of situations that could be considered marital discrimination include:

• Firing an employee because they get married
• Refusing to hire someone because of who they are married to
• Refusing to provide benefits to an employee based on their status
• Making any decision on assignments or employment status based on whether someone is married or single

If you believe you have been discriminated against in the workplace, discuss your situation with an Atlanta employment discrimination attorney to find out what your options are.

Does Georgia Prohibit Marital Discrimination?

A multitude of classes are federally protected from workplace discrimination in the United States. These classes include gender, race, religion, and disability, but do not include marital status. Despite it not being a federally protected class, many states have adapted their employment discrimination laws to include marital status. However, the answer is no, there is no law in the state of Georgia that prohibits discrimination based on whether or not an employee is married.

What are Georgia’s Employment Discrimination Laws?

Georgia’s Equal Employment Division has committed itself to eliminating a multitude of forms of wrongful discrimination in the workplace.

As a result of the Sex Discrimination in Employment Act of 1966, gender discrimination in the workplace is outlawed in Georgia. This prohibits the discrimination of employees on the basis of sex. This law applies to compensation between comparable roles, overall treatment, and retaliation against an employee who reports potential discrimination.

It is also illegal in Georgia for companies to discriminate against employees due to age. Age cannot be a notable factor when determining whether or not to hire or fire an employee, in cases of benefit packages, delegating assignments, and more.

If you have been discriminated against in the workplace due to gender or otherwise, reach out to an Atlanta employment discrimination attorney to discuss representation.