Question

1. Lily is an image technician. She reviews photographs for placement in a stock images catalog. Her male colleagues, who also review photographs for placement in a stock images catalog, are photo analysts. She complains that she is paid less for doing the same work as them. Which of the following is true in this situation?

a. Lily will prevail in a claim under the Equal Pay Act if both of the jobs require equal skill, effort, and responsibility.

b. Lily will not prevail in a claim under the Equal Pay Act because the law allows for unequal pay when the job titles are different.

c. Lily will not prevail in a claim under the Equal Pay Act as pay information is meant to be confidential, and she has broken the law by finding out what her colleagues are paid.

d. Lily will prevail in a claim under the Equal Pay Act only if she can show that her expenses are more than that of her male colleagues.

2. All of the following are examples of gender stereotyping except:

a. men are always the family breadwinners

b. men who display emotion are weak or effeminate

c. a female manager has some direct reports that are male.

d. a woman away from her desk must be in the bathroom; a man away from his desk must be attending to business matters

3. Allyson, a mid-level manager at Oxy-Chemicals has always had female assistants and is concerned that they are much less qualified than their male counterparts. When the assistant position opens up, she instructs Human Resources to hire a male assistant for her, and will not even interview female candidates. Is Allyson and/or Oxy-Chemicals in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act?

a. Allyson is in violation of Title VII, but not Oxy (via human resources). Human resources is only following directions from Allyson.

b. Neither Allyson nor Oxy are in violation of Title VII because Allyson is only a mid-level manager and this is not a company policy.

c. Both Allyson and Oxy can be found liable of a Title VII violation for not considering qualified female candidates for the job.

d. Only Oxy human resources can be found in violation of Title VII because they know or should have known that it is not appropriate to consider only male candidates for the position.

4. In the case of Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that:

a. the employer had violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by imposing sex-differentiated appearance and grooming standards on its male and female employees.

b. the claimant did not produce sufficient evidence to show that she was not given the same opportunities to advance as her male co-workers.

c. it is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for gender stereotyping to play a significant role in evaluating an employee's work performance.

d. it is not unlawful to have gender-based grooming policies because employers are free to determine how to run their businesses.

5. Smith Paving Inc. has a contract to construct a new bypass around the city. The project is approximately 23 miles from the employer’s office. Kelly and Portia are hired to keep track of the supplies delivered to the site. They are the only female employees working at this job site. Smith installs a portable restroom at the construction site, but it lacks the necessary facilities required by women and is not safe enough to be used by them. Thus, Kelly and Portia take breaks and drive back to the office to use their office restroom. However, the foreman complains that their breaks are too long. After the complaint, Kelly and Portia ask their employer to install a separate restroom for women. Which of the following is true in this situation?

a. Kelly and Portia's request for a separate restroom constitutes gender discrimination, and the employer cannot comply without being liable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

b. Kelly and Portia's request for a separate restroom should be granted as not taking into consideration legitimate differences between genders can be unlawful.

c. The employer has no legal obligation to provide separate restrooms unless state law requires it.

d. The employer can terminate Kelly and Portia for demanding a separate restroom on the basis of bona fide occupational qualification.

6. All of the following are true of fetal protection policies, except:

a. are policies adopted by an employer that limit or prohibit employees from performing certain jobs or working in certain areas of the workplace because of the potential harm presented to pregnant employees, their fetuses, or the reproductive system or capacity of employees

b. should consider whether adverse effects extend to men, and if they do, should provide protections for the men too

c. should never be applied to men in the workplace

d. it can be problematic when they take away job discrimination protection from a female employee rather than letting her make her own decisions

7. Gender discrimination is manifested in the workplace in all of the following ways except:

a. equality in pay and promotions

b. use of a “tap on the shoulder” policy for selecting new managers

c. women denied favorable job assignments that are necessary to qualify for management positions

d. pregnant women denied pay and/or promotions due to their condition.

Answer 1

1.The answer is ‘a’.

As per the Equal Pay Act if the job roles are the same for both sex then employees are intended to get the same pay irrespective of gender.

2.The answer is ‘c’.

It is totally acceptable for female managers to have male reportees and vice versa. There is no stereotyping in this case.

3.The answer is ‘c’.

Both Allyson and Oxy Chemicals violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

4.The answer is ‘a’.

As per the Act, it is a violation to discriminate against gender and stereotyping based on gender is lawfully actionable.