Sex discrimination can appear in hiring, promotion, pay, assignments, discipline, benefits, scheduling, pregnancy-related treatment, or termination. It is different from sexual harassment, although the two can overlap.
Focus on the employment decision
What changed? Who made the decision? What explanation was given? Were the same standards applied to comparable employees? Did anyone make comments that connect the decision to sex, gender stereotypes, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, caregiving assumptions, or another protected consideration?
Compare carefully
A useful comparison describes both similarities and differences. A coworker may have the same title but a different supervisor, seniority, performance history, territory, or alleged misconduct. Those distinctions can matter.
Preserve contemporaneous explanations
Save the promotion criteria, job posting, performance reviews, discipline, compensation records, schedule changes, emails, and the explanation given when the decision occurred. Later litigation labels are less useful than the record created at the time.
Sexual harassment is a separate route
Unwanted sexual comments, touching, propositions, sexual images, or sex-based hostility may raise harassment issues even without a separate hiring, pay, or termination decision. Use the sexual-harassment guide when the conduct itself is central.