Workplace Discrimination: The Basics

California law protects almost every worker from being treated worse because of who they are.

What the law forbids

California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (Government Code § 12940(a)) makes it illegal for an employer to treat you worse because of who you are. That covers refusing to hire you, firing you, paying you less, or giving you worse working conditions than other workers. It reaches every stage of a job: ads, interviews, promotions, training, discipline, and layoffs.

Who is protected

The law names many protected characteristics, including:

• Race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locs, and twists (the CROWN Act)
• Religious creed, color, national origin, and ancestry
• Physical or mental disability, medical condition, and genetic information
• Reproductive health decisions, such as choices about birth control or abortion
• Marital status
• Sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation
• Age, for workers 40 and older
• Military or veteran status
• Using cannabis off the job and away from the workplace (Government Code § 12954, protected since 2024; some jobs, like certain construction and federal-clearance positions, are exempt)

Notice the word "including." Lawmakers add to this list over time, so it is not the complete set. The law also requires employers to reasonably accommodate a disability or a pregnancy. That means they must work with you on changes that let you keep doing your job, unless doing so would cause them serious hardship.

Retaliation is also illegal

It is separately illegal for an employer to punish you for standing up for these rights. Complaining about discrimination, filing a complaint with an agency, or helping with a coworker's case are all protected activities. Retaliation is its own violation, even if the original complaint does not succeed.