I'm in a gender studies class right now, and from what I've learned, stuff like this happens a lot. The same thing will go on if you go to buy a car--a woman will get quoted a higher price initially, and they'll cut the price less than they do for a man.
We watched a video that was a 20/20 segment or something similar where they sent a man and a woman, of similar age/qualifications/socioeconomic status into different situations and taped the outcomes. The woman got quoted a higher price for a car and an apartment. When applying for a job they gave the woman the better qualifications, but she was offered a secreterial position while the man with shitty qualifications was offered a supervisor's position, etc. Some companies are more reluctant to hire mothers or newlyweds because of concerns about child care and stuff. It sucks, but it's a reality.
[Just so no one gets the wrong idea, we also talk about how men are discriminated against in certain situations as well.]
