Female Sales Execs Sue Combined Insurance

December 14, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Ten current and former female sales executives have filed a sexual discrimination suit against Combined Insurance Company of America, claiming male managers harassed them and rejected them for promotions.

The suit, filed in US District Court against the Chicago-based subsidiary of Aon Corp., said Combined’s discrimination was so pervasive that the corporate atmosphere “encourages a culture of sex harassment and oppression,” according to Crain’s Chicago Business.

According to the suit, Combined managers:

  • used demeaning physical descriptions to rate female job candidates
  • instructed others not to hire women with children
  • routinely promoted men to management jobs more frequently than women.

With a “feeble” sexual harassment rule in place, the suit said none of 12 divisional sales managers are female and only three of its 76 regional managers are women.

– Fred Schneyer                                     editors@plansponsor.com

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