Sex Discrimination in Job Assignments

Stuck With the Lesser Workload Because of Your Gender?

Sometimes, it’s not the paychecks or the titles that tell the whole story, it’s the projects you’re handed, or in some cases, never handed at all. Being quietly boxed into low-visibility, low-impact work because of your gender can derail your career in ways that are hard to spot at first.

Our employment law attorneys at Horn Wright, LLP, have seen this scenario more times than we’d like. Job assignments are not random favors from management; they’re the building blocks of your résumé. When they’re consistently given to someone else because of their gender, you’re being denied opportunities to grow, earn, and lead.

If you’ve noticed a steady pattern, you’re kept out of client presentations, skipped for strategic projects, or repeatedly handed support tasks, that’s not just “the way things are.” That’s worth looking at closely.

How Gender Bias Creeps Into Task Assignments

Bias in assignments doesn’t always arrive with a neon sign. It can be as subtle as being asked to “help out” with administrative work while a male colleague is assigned a high-profile account. Over time, these small differences harden into career barriers.

Federal law addresses this head-on. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(a), bars employers from limiting, segregating, or classifying employees in ways that harm them based on sex. New York’s Executive Law § 296(1)(a) echoes this, explicitly banning discrimination in “terms, conditions, or privileges” of employment, language broad enough to include assignments.

Importantly, the bias doesn’t have to be intentional. If the pattern results in one gender consistently missing out on career-advancing work, it can still be unlawful.

Comparing Assignments Between Male and Female Employees

One of the clearest ways to detect bias is to actually lay the work side-by-side. Who’s getting the projects that lead to raises or leadership roles? Who’s being sent to pitch meetings? Are certain types of work almost always assigned to one gender?

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) treats disparities in work assignments as possible signs of discrimination, especially if they fit a larger pattern of unequal treatment. In New York, if you bring a claim, discovery can give you access to assignment records, project rosters, and other internal documents that make these disparities impossible to ignore.

This isn’t about nitpicking every single project. It’s about spotting and proving trends that show bias is baked into the way work is distributed.

Documenting the Disparity Over Time

One assignment in isolation won’t make your case. A string of them over months or years just might. Keeping a personal log can be incredibly valuable, write down who got what assignment, the date, and the context. Include details about the visibility of the work, the expected outcome, and whether similar opportunities have led to advancement in the past.

These records can guide your attorney in requesting key evidence during litigation. New York’s CPLR § 3101 gives broad rights to demand “all matter material and necessary,” meaning you can often compel the employer to hand over the kind of documents that will back up your notes.

Consistency is key here. The more detailed and chronological your log, the easier it is to connect the dots later.

New Hampshire’s Labor Laws Offer Fewer Remedies for Assignment Bias Than New York’s

Where you file matters. In New Hampshire, the statutes don’t spell out assignment bias as clearly, and remedies may be narrower. That makes proving your case harder if the discrimination is subtle or built over time rather than blatant.

By contrast, New York’s Human Rights Law casts a wider net. Because “terms, conditions, and privileges” are explicitly covered, the law clearly applies to job assignments. That gives employees more room to argue that repeated project disparities are discriminatory, and to seek meaningful remedies.

It’s one reason why the same facts might lead to a strong claim in New York but stall in another state.

Proving the Link Between Assignments and Career Growth Loss

Showing bias is only part of the fight, you also need to prove it cost you something tangible. Maybe the projects you missed out on were a required step toward a leadership position. Maybe they were tied to performance bonuses.

Courts often want to see a clear cause-and-effect chain: assignments - career opportunities - advancement (or lack of it). If your male colleagues regularly get client-facing roles that lead to promotions while you’re stuck in back-office work, that’s the kind of connection that strengthens a case.

Evidence for this can come from promotion histories, internal job postings, or testimony from co-workers who’ve watched the process unfold.

Turning Assignment Inequities Into a Legal Claim

Once the pattern and its impact are clear, the question is whether it meets the legal standard for sex discrimination under Title VII or New York Executive Law § 296. That’s where an experienced employment attorney can dig into the employer’s reasoning, and whether it holds up under scrutiny.

Some companies try to defend their choices by pointing to “skills” or “fit.” But if their explanation changes over time, or doesn’t align with records showing you’re equally qualified, it can actually strengthen your case.

In New York, you may also be able to file your complaint with both the EEOC and the New York State Division of Human Rights, preserving your right to pursue remedies under both laws.

Horn Wright, LLP, Will Help You Demand Equal Opportunities

If you’ve been quietly sidelined through biased job assignments, you don’t have to just accept it. At Horn Wright, LLP, our employment law attorneys know how to pull the curtain back on assignment practices, reveal discrimination, and press for the fair opportunities you’ve been denied.

We look at the whole picture, from assignment logs to promotion data to internal communications, and build a case that makes the bias undeniable. And when we push, we push for results that set the record straight and give you the career path you’ve earned.

Equal work should mean equal opportunity. We’ll fight to make sure it does.