Male Caregivers Face Sexual Discrimination

Men and women of the sandwich generation find themselves ‘stretched’ as caregivers for both their children and their aging parents and struggling mightily to simultaneously balance childrearing, parental care and corporate climbing. This scenario is not likely to change in the near future. What has changed is the gender distribution among caregiving adults. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has reported a steep rise in workplace discrimination complaints brought by men. The claim? Although the percentage of males who perform caregiving duties, either for their children, their aging parents, or both, has increased drastically in recent years, American corporate office policy has not kept pace.

From 2000-2010, as the number of stay-at-home dads rose steadily, the number of family responsibility lawsuits increased by 400%. The EEOC suggests that as the economy tanked and many men lost their jobs, their decision to take on a caregiving role for the family became a logical step. In parallel, a number of cases brought by male caregivers have gained some notoriety:

• Michael Villalobos, 38, filed a lawsuit against the department of agriculture when he was fired from his job for requesting a leave to care for his sick daughter. This case is still pending in California federal court.

• Ariel Ayanna, a Boston father of two was demoted and fired from his law firm when he requested a leave to care for his mentally ill wife and their children.

Men now suffer from many of the same workplace discriminatory malaises as their female counterparts. The top three are known as New Supervisor Syndrome, Second Child Syndrome and Elder Care Syndrome. It is common practice for male employees who are involved in family caregiving to have their hours unfairly reduced, be denied promotions and in some cases, be fired without cause. If you are a man balancing work responsibilities with the needs of your family, you might face discrimination at work. Learn more about your rights. Call Los Angeles County Super Lawyers The Ruttenberg Law Firm, P.C. by calling 310.207.4022 or contact us online for a free consultation.