Javier Marcos, a business owner in Barcelona, Spain, was penalised $8,027 (about €7,501) for writing in an online job offering for a store assistant that the ideal candidate would be a woman over the age of 40.
In Barcelona’s Fort Pienc neighbourhood, Marcos has a curtain-making business. Marcos advertised to replace his sole female employee, who is retiring, with someone with a similar profile, the Guardian reported on Friday (February 10).
Marcos deleted the advertisement after receiving a warning from the labour inspectorate that he could be penalised for it. The inspectors nevertheless decided to impose the penalties because they believed the advertisement discriminated against people based on their sex and age.
‘I have no intention of discriminating against anyone. In fact, I wanted to offer an opportunity to a group of people for whom it is difficult to find work,’ Marcos said.
He also said that the majority of his clients were women, adding, the fine is a lot of money for a small business.
The Guardian report said consolation which Marcos had was that the fine would be reduced to €4,500 if it was paid within 30 days.
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