For the legal question, please answer the question using appropriate case law and/or statutory law. You do NOT need to use a full-fledged IRAC-type essay, but you should clearly identify the legal issue, cite appropriate authority and properly apply the authority to the question at hand.

Legal Question

Isabella says her boss, Aiden, told her and five other women that they were his top employees but none of them would be offered promotional opportunities with the company. When asked for an explanation, Aiden told them that some of his traditional clients told him they would refuse to work with women, and if any of those clients decided to take their work to another vendor, he would suffer a significant economic loss. In private conversation, Aiden also told Isabella she should be patient because she was in the early stages of her career and therefore still has time to receive a promotion with the company. Please discuss whether Aiden's conduct violates any federal regulations and why. Please cite appropriate legal authority.x