2026-02-21 06:00
publication
2026-02-21 06:00
What is considered something completely natural in Europe – a company development trip intended exclusively for women, perceived as a model element of equality policy – in the United States in 2026 will become the subject of interest of the federal prosecutor's office – writes Spidersweb.pl.
Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, a Coca-Cola distributor and bottling plant in the northeastern United States, is being targeted by a lawsuit for alleged gender discrimination in connection with a corporate networking event to which men were not allowed, said the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which filed the lawsuit on Wednesday.
In September 2024, the company organized a two-day networking trip in Connecticut to which only women were invited. The participants were released from daily work duties, while retaining full remuneration.
The administration of US President Donald Trump considered the situation unacceptable and did not limit itself to comments in the media. The case was handled by the EEOC, the federal agency responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination laws in the workplace. And when the EEOC steps into action, it means one thing: the joke is over – writes Spidersweb.pl
Going away without any men?
“Coca-Cola Northeast privately invited female employees and relieved them of their normal job duties” and “Coca-Cola Northeast did not invite any male employees to this event” – indicates the EEOC.
Such comments appear in the discussion. According to the agency, this may violate laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender. The intention of the organizers? Support for women in professional development. The office's interpretation? Exclusion of male employees from paid benefits.
Politics and private sympathies
This is the first high-profile case regarding diversity policies in Trump's second term. The administration had previously announced the fight against the so-called “reverse discrimination”.
There is also a note of irony in all this. Donald Trump publicly called on Coca-Cola to return to using cane sugar in American drinks, showing some sympathy for the company. This time sympathy didn't help – and maybe even hurt.
Excluding men from an employer-sponsored event violates federal law, and the agency will take legal action when necessary, said EEOC Acting General Counsel Catherine Eschbach.
For Europe, the matter remains somewhat incomprehensible
In the EU, mentoring programs and development trips addressed exclusively to women are treated as a standard element of equal opportunities policy and do not raise much controversy. In the United States, in the current political climate, such initiatives have become a test of the limits of the law.
One corporate invitation sparks a federal lawsuit and sparks a national debate about equality today. From a European perspective, it looks more like an aberration – we read in Spidersweb.pl.
prepared by WM
