Check out the U.S. EEOC’s “What You Should Know About the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act” for examples of reasonable accommodations that pregnant and postpartum workers can request, employer obligations regarding such requests, and more: www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-yo...
Workplace protections for pregnant and postpartum workers are essential to safeguard the health of Black mothers. Employers’ obligation to provide reasonable accommodations ensures that pregnant workers don’t have to choose between protecting their health and keeping their job.
This week is #BlackMaternalHealthWeek, honoring the resilience of Black mothers but also recognizing systemic injustices that shape health outcomes: Black women are 3x more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women and 1.5x more likely to have a preterm birth.
The Equal Pay Act, Title VII & the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act work to combat discrimination against women, women of color, and others. Employers can implement policies that encourage pay transparency & regularly analyze worker compensation to ensure pay equity.
Because the AANHPI community is so diverse, it's important to highlight the significant pay disparities experienced by specific AANHPI ethnicities and nationalities in addition to pay averages of the community as whole. This ensures certain groups don't fall through the cracks.
This gap is even greater for some groups of AANHPI women, like Native Hawaiian women who earn only 67 cents for every dollar White men make, on average. Bangladeshi, Burmese, and Afghan women also experience even starker pay gaps at 50 cents and 49 cents, respectively.
Today is AANHPI Women's Equal Pay Day. As of 2024, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women are paid only 83 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men, on average.
Both decisions are on the wrong side of the law, the wrong side of the facts & the wrong side of history. Trans people are a part of our workplaces. They deserve to work with dignity, safety & respect. They are entitled to be free from discrimination at work like everyone else.
In Selina S., the EEOC held that Title VII permits federal employers to deny an employee access to the restroom that matches their gender identity. This rests on the false premise that trans workers aren't worthy of the agency’s protection from discrimination & harassment.
In Sam T., the EEOC held that a categorical denial of insurance coverage for gender-affirming care is not sex discrimination. This disregards the law, ignores medical consensus, and treats trans people as second-class citizens.
Today is #TransDayofVisibility, celebrating the resilience of trans folks worldwide. There's much to be done to ensure they're protected equally. I voted against 2 recent EEOC decisions that impact the rights of trans federal workers - Sam T. v. Kupor and Selina S. v. Driscoll.
![“[This decision] disregards the law, ignores medical consensus, and treats transgender people as second-class citizens.” EEOC Commissioner Kalpana Kotagal on EEOC's Sam T. v. Kupor decision that asserts that the categorical denial of insurance coverage for transgender-related health care is not sex discrimination. Read Commissioner Kotagal's dissent at the link in our bio.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ms7h7bhrdye6rp43smy644rx/bafkreigyopoq24u7hcphebz3uejlffl5utbgkr6yveq7arnctpuivsmsqm)
“[This decision] disregards the law, ignores medical consensus, and treats transgender people as second-class citizens.” EEOC Commissioner Kalpana Kotagal on EEOC's Sam T. v. Kupor decision that asserts that the categorical denial of insurance coverage for transgender-related health care is not sex discrimination. Read Commissioner Kotagal's dissent at the link in our bio.
We couldn't agree more with Commissioner Kotagal, who voted against the EEOC's recent decision that asserts that the categorical denial of insurance coverage for trans-related health care is not sex discrimination.
REMINDER: the EEOC's ruling is NOT binding on federal courts.
I voted against the EEOC's decision in Sam T. v. Kupor. Here is my full statement: www.linkedin.com/posts/kalpan...
The gender pay gap can be closed if we work together. Employers can conduct compensation analyses, stop relying on salary history, & institute pay transparency. Workers can educate themselves and their colleagues about their rights. Equal pay is possible! www.equalrights.org/issue/econom...
Last April, the EEOC secured $195,000 for 3 female medical workers who alleged they were paid less than a male employee for comparable work. The employer also agreed to conduct a pay equity study and update its policies. www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/tib...
Some of the gender wage gap is due to various forms of discrimination & harassment women face at work. The EEOC, through enforcement of the Equal Pay Act, the PWFA, & Title VII, aims to combat that. Pay discrimination has real impacts on real women across the country.
The gender pay gap often grows over the course of a career. A 2025 U.S. EEOC study of federal employees found that, in 2021, the pay gap was almost three times larger for women over age 40 than for younger women. That yearly difference adds up. www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeo...
Today is #EqualPayDay - a yearly reminder that the fight for wage justice persists. On average, women make 76¢ for every dollar men make, and the gap is even worse for women of color. And we are moving backward: in 2024, the gender wage gap widened for the second year in a row.
Our “What You Should Know About the PWFA" provides examples of reasonable accommodations that pregnant & postpartum workers can request, explains how workers can request accommodations, how employers should respond to such requests, and more. Check it out:
& Last month, the EEOC settled a PWFA & disability suit for $90k for a medical assistant in Oklahoma whose employer allegedly forced her to take unpaid leave rather than providing on-site accommodations:
In December 2025, the EEOC secured $100k for a worker at a technology company in Florida who was allegedly fired after she requested unpaid leave as a pregnancy accommodation under PWFA:
In July 2025, a vehicle manufacturer in Alabama agreed to a $55k settlement for a PWFA suit. The company allegedly penalized an employee for pregnancy-related absences and required her to work overtime against her doctor's advice:
As #WomensHistoryMonth continues, I’d like to highlight the historic Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) & the ways U.S. EEOC continues to develop that law through impactful resolutions. PWFA expands access to reasonable accommodations for pregnant & postpartum workers nationwide.
Here's my statement on lawful diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility practices: www.linkedin.com/posts/kalpan...
More career breaks for things like childcare perpetuate pay gaps for women globally. The U.S. EEOC protects women nationwide from various forms of workplace discrimination like harassment, pay inequity, pregnancy discrimination, & more. We must work together to close these gaps.
The World Economic Forum found women's global workforce participation rose to 41.2% in 2024 but "gender-based industry segregation persists, with women concentrated in lower-paying... industries," like healthcare & education. Women remain underrepresented in leadership positions.
Happy #InternationalWomensDay! While global gender gaps in economic participation & opportunity have narrowed, we can do more to foster women's equitable participation in our workforces. Inclusive leadership pipelines, support for childcare & more can help women thrive at work.
Huerta once told farmworkers that “[t]hese are the conditions that exist, but you don’t have to accept these conditions. We have the power to change them.” Agricultural employers must use their power to stamp out any harassment & discrimination against farmwomen nationwide.
Last month, the U.S. EEOC reached a $900,000 settlement with a California produce company for allegedly subjecting a class of women to sexual harassment, such as unwanted sexual advances, groping, comments about their appearance & more www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/fre...
Huerta advocated for humane conditions for migrant farmworkers, securing better wages, safer working conditions & the right for California farmworkers to unionize. She coined the iconic rallying cry, “¡Sí, se puede!” & received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.