Despite significant advances in equality over the past several decades, gender discrimination in California workplaces remains a stubborn, often normalized reality. Women, transgender employees, and non-binary workers continue to face disparities in pay, opportunity, and treatment—both overt and subtle. In a state that leads the nation in civil rights legislation, the law is clear: employers must provide equal treatment, regardless of gender or gender identity.

In the modern workplace, experience should be an asset—not a liability. Yet for many workers over 40, advancing their careers or even staying employed often comes with a hidden cost: their age. While it rarely appears in writing or job descriptions, age discrimination in California remains a pervasive issue affecting hiring, promotions, layoffs, and daily workplace culture.

In a state as diverse as California, the freedom to practice one’s religion—or to choose not to—should be a given. And yet, religious beliefs discrimination remains a quiet but persistent issue in the workplace. Whether it’s a refusal to accommodate religious observances, biased remarks, or unfair treatment due to religious dress or beliefs, the law is clear: faith has no place as a factor in employment decisions.

California has long been seen as a leader in protecting LGBTQ rights. But despite some of the strongest anti-discrimination laws in the country, LGBTQ discrimination in California workplaces still happens—quietly, persistently, and in ways that too often go unchecked.

Retaliation against employees is one of the most frequently cited violations in California workplace lawsuits—and one of the most poorly understood. While many employers claim to support “open-door policies” and ethical reporting, too often the reality is quite different once an employee speaks up.

When people think of workplace discrimination, the usual suspects—race, gender, age—often come to mind. But marital status discrimination in California is a real and unlawful practice that quietly affects many employees, often in ways that are difficult to detect but deeply impactful. Whether you’re single, married, divorced, widowed, or in a domestic partnership, your relationship status cannot lawfully be used as a basis for workplace decisions.

California is one of several states that have implemented “Ban the Box” laws—rules that limit when and how an employer can ask about a job applicant’s criminal history. Under California’s Fair Chance Act, most employers are prohibited from asking about convictions on job applications or during the initial stages of the hiring process.

For decades, workplace grooming policies have often discriminated—directly or indirectly—against Black employees and others who wear natural hairstyles such as afros, braids, locs, or twists. In response, California became the first state in the U.S. to pass legislation explicitly protecting employees from hair-based discrimination.

The Freelance Worker Protection Act of 2025 (FWPA) is a landmark piece of legislation designed to close longstanding gaps in labor protections for freelancers, contractors, and other self-employed professionals.