What women can do about workplace rights violations.

Women still are battling employers over equal pay for equal work, despite mandates of recent decades, according to Victoria L. Rayner, author of The Survival Guide for Today's Career Woman. "As women strive to achieve equality in the workplace, the wages that measure their progress move slowly. It is a well-documented fact that there is still a gap between men's and women's earnings and this is only one area where women's rights are being jeopardized."

She believes that women's rights in the workplace continue to be violated in five key areas, even though Federal, state, and local legislation has been enacted in recent years:

Pay discrimination. "Women with equal or better education earn less than men and there are proportionately fewer women in top management positions. If you suspect that you are not receiving equal pay for equal work, you may file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which enforces the Equal Pay Act."

Glass ceilings. "Advancement in the workplace is oftentimes hindered by artificial barriers -- glass ceilings. While progress has been made in the workplace by women, the commitment and actions that lead to this progress must be maintained and enhanced. Women must take personal responsibility for their own career progress. But if they feel they have been unfairly overlooked when promotion opportunities have occurred, they should contact the EEOC."

Pregnancy and family leave. "Neither American society nor American business has acknowledged the growing segment of the population of women of childbearing age entering the labor force in recent years. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 specifically prohibits discrimination because of pregnancy; employers can not refuse to employ a woman in this condition. Also, state maternity and parental leave laws...