The Department of State is accustomed to difficult negotiations, but the adversaries it faced in a Washington courtroom last week were from its own ranks. In a class action, 2,700 present and former women Foreign Service officers have charged Foggy Bottom with sex discrimination. Said Ellen Kabcenell Wayne, an attorney for the plaintiffs: "There is discrimination in promotion, performance evaluation and awards."
The trial is expected to last about a month. The plaintiffs say that discrimination begins with the job assignments offered to women and continues with promotions, resulting in markedly fewer eligible women than men being elevated to top positions....
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