The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing the Outback Steakhouse restaurant chain, accusing the company of denying women job opportunities and training needed to reach top management jobs.To be considered for top management jobs at the company's restaurants, workers need to have varied assignments, especially in the kitchen, the suit states. But qualified women were denied those posts and passed over for less qualified male workers.
Mary Jo O'Neill, Regional Attorney for the EEOC's Phoenix District, said in a statement, "This case is interesting because it turns on its head the stereotype that women should 'stay in the kitchen,'" adding, "Apparently, when being in the kitchen leads to a lucrative position, women suddenly no longer are welcome."
