Law Doesn't Prevent Discriminating Against Parents

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Can your employer treat you differently than your coworkers because you're a parent?

An employee sued her employer, alleging she was the victim of discrimination because her employer stereotyped her as a mother of young children and claimed she was fired because the employer didn't believe that as a mother she would demonstrate devotion to her job. A difficult case to make, particularly in light of the fact that her ex-employer is a school district and she was its school psychologist.

I know, you can't make this stuff up. No one would believe you.

The case raises the question for working parents: If your employer stereotypes a working parent by, say, assuming she'll need more sick time, is that discrimination?

Surprisingly, there is no federal law preventing employers from discriminating on the basis of parenthood. But where an employee can demonstrate that she was fired because the company treats women with children differently than men with children, then the company is guilty of gender discrimination.

Even in this day and age an employer doesn't have to be family-friendly, it just has to treat all of its care-giving workers equally uncaringly.