What is National Origin Discrimination?

Unlawful employment discrimination can take many forms, and it can happen for many different reasons due to a variety of factors. National origin discrimination is one type — of many — of unlawful employment discrimination under the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 (FCRA), as well as Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. National origin discrimination is unlawful in the hiring process for job applications, and it is also unlawful when current employees face this type of discrimination. Yet in order to know whether this is the type of discrimination you might have faced in your current employment situation or while applying for a job, it is critical to understand how federal and state law define national origin discrimination. The experienced Palm Beach Garden employment discrimination lawyers at our firm can discuss the term with you in detail.

Defining National Origin Discrimination 

While national origin discrimination is similar to discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity, it is a distinct category of discrimination that can have some overlaps with discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity.

According to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), “national origin discrimination involves treating people (applicants or employees) unfavorably because they are from a particular country or part of the world, because of ethnicity or accent, or because they appear to be of a certain ethnic background (even if they are not).” In addition, national origin discrimination includes “treating people unfavorably because they are married to (or associated with) a person of a certain national origin.”

Prohibitions Against National Origin Discrimination

 Like other forms of discrimination prohibited under state and federal law, a job application or employee cannot face discrimination in any of the following employment areas due to their actual or perceived national origin, or their connection to a person of a particular or perceived national origin: hiring, firing, rate of pay, job assignment, demotion or promotion, layoffs, training and benefits, harassment, or retaliation.

Common Examples of National Origin Discrimination 

There are many ways that national origin discrimination can play out, but the following are common types of examples:

• Slurs about people of certain national backgrounds (such as Mexican people, Iraqi people);
• Negative comments or harmful stereotypes that arise to the level of harassment about people of certain national backgrounds;
• Seeking only to hire people of particular national backgrounds and not others;
• Demoting an employee after learning they have a partner or spouse of a particular national background; and/or
• Retaliating against an employee for reporting national origin discrimination.

Contact Our Palm Beach Gardens Employment Discrimination Attorneys 

If you believe you have been subject to national origin discrimination, or any other type of unlawful discrimination, in your experience as a job application or an employee, you may have options to hold the employer accountable and to seek a remedy. It is important to get in touch with an experienced Palm Beach Gardens employment discrimination lawyer at Sconzo Law Office to discuss the specific details of your case. Contact us today to find out more about unlawful employment discrimination in South Florida and how we can help you with a claim.

Sources:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0760/Sections/0760.01.html#:~:text=(2)%20The%20general%20purposes%20of,personal%20dignity%2C%20to%20make%20available

eeoc.gov/national-origin-discrimination#:~:text=National%20origin%20discrimination%20involves%20treating,even%20if%20they%20are%20not