Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

(noun)

A federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, genetic information, and retaliation for opposing a discriminatory practice.

Related Terms

Examples of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the following topics:

  • Islam

    • These claims were filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission during 2009.
    • While Muslims comprise less than two percent of the American population, they accounted for approximately one quarter of the religious discrimination claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission during 2009.

  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    • Employment discrimination is prohibited against "qualified individuals with disabilities. " This includes applicants for employment and current employees.
    • The Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) provides publications and other technical assistance on the basic requirements of the ADA.

  • The Feminist Movement

    • The feminist movement refers to a series of campaigns for cultural, political, economic, and social equality for women.
    • Established in 1966 and currently the largest feminist organization in the United States, NOW works to secure political, professional, and educational equality for women.
    • In 1972, NOW and other women activist groups fought to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution, which affirmed that women and men have equal rights under the law.
    • In 1980, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission defined sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances or sexual conduct, verbal or physical, that interferes with a person's performance or creates a hostile working environment.
    • It has also led to increased employment opportunities for women at more equitable wages, as well as broad access to university educations.

  • Personality Testing in the Workplace

    • Employment testing is the practice of administering written, oral, or other tests as a means of determining the suitability or desirability of a job applicant.
    • When they are used to assess potential employees in the workplace, however, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission can interpret them as an attempt by an employer to gain knowledge of a medical condition prior to an offer of employment.

  • Termination

    • For more information on Title VII, including the claims process, bona fide occupational qualification defense, and who is protected, visit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) website at: http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/vii.html.
    • In an effort to promote employment of older persons based on their ability rather than age, Congress enacted the ADEA, which "prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of age against individuals forty years of age or older" (The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).
    • In 1990, Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act, which made it illegal for private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies, labor organizations, and labor-management committees to discriminate against individuals based on a disability (The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).
    • The primary purpose for progressive discipline is to assist the employee to understand that a performance problem or opportunity for improvement exists" (Heathfield, Discipline (Progressive Discipline)).
    • This will give the employee time to "cool off" and think about their next move before they have the opportunity to socially interact with former coworkers during the weekend (Kulik, 2004).

  • The Lyndon B. Johnson Administration

    • He accomplished an ambitious domestic agenda, enacting the "Great Society" and "War on Poverty," which were a collection of programs related to civil rights, economic opportunity, education, healthcare, environmental protection, and public broadcasting.
    • Johnson created a panel headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren, known as the Warren Commission, to investigate Kennedy's assassination.
    • Johnson brought to his presidency a vision of a Great Society in which everyone could share in the opportunities for a better life that the United States offered, and in which the words “liberty and justice for all” would have real meaning.
    • His war on poverty dominated his presidency and included such acts as the 1964 Economic Opportunities Act, the 1965 Housing and Development Act, and the 1965 Social Security Act.
    • Further, it barred discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, or gender, and established an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  

  • Civil Rights and Voting Rights

    • Further, it barred discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, or gender, and established an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
    • Congress asserted its authority to legislate about civil rights under three parts of the United States Constitution: its power to regulate interstate commerce under Article One (section 8), its duty to guarantee all citizens equal protection of the laws (under the Fourteenth Amendment), and its duty to protect voting rights (under the Fifteenth Amendment).
    • The bill would soon be followed by the equally momentous Voting Rights Act, which effectively ended the disenfranchisement of blacks in the South.
    • Russell stated: "We will resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our (Southern) states."

  • Discussion questions, exercises, and references

    • Employment Case Law Headlines.
    • What are Employment Taxes?
    • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

  • Minorities and the New Deal

    • In June 1941, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 (sometimes referred to as the Fair Employment Act).
    • Executive Order 8802 was the first federal action intended to promote equal opportunity and prohibit employment discrimination in the United States.
    • Marshall argued that Maryland failed to provide a "separate but equal" education for Murray as required by the 14th Amendment.
    • A Press Conference on the Fair Employment Practices Commission, circa 1942
    • The FEPC was an agency dedicated to equal opportunity for all races, although it was limited in scope and implementation.

  • Women in the Labor Force

    • The 2008 edition of the Employment Outlook report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that, while female employment rates have expanded considerably and the gender employment and wage gaps have narrowed virtually everywhere, women still have 20% less chance to have a job than men, on average, and they are paid 17% less than their male counterparts.
    • For instance, women were completely forbidden access to Cambridge University until 1868, and were encumbered with a variety of restrictions until 1987, when the university adopted an equal opportunity policy.
    • The European Commission defines it as the average difference between men and women's hourly earnings.
    • The 2008 edition of the Employment Outlook report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that, while female employment rates have expanded considerably and the gender employment and wage gaps have narrowed virtually everywhere, women still have 20% less chance to have a job than men, on average, and they are paid 17% less than their male counterparts.
    • Gender Pay Gap in 19 OECD countries according to the 2008 OECD Employment Outlook report