Equal Employment Opportunity is
THE LAW
Private Employers, State and Local Governments, Educational Institutions, Employment Agencies and Labor Organizations
Applicants to and employees of most private employers, state and local governments, educational institutions,
employment agencies and labor organizations are protected under Federal law from discrimination on the following bases:
RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, protects applicants and
employees from discrimination in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits,
job training, classification, referral, and other aspects of employment, on the basis
of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), or national origin. Religious
discrimination includes failing to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious
practices where the accommodation does not impose undue hardship.
DISABILITY
Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, protect
qualified individuals from discrimination on the basis of disability in hiring, promotion,
discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and other
aspects of employment. Disability discrimination includes not making reasonable
accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified
individual with a disability who is an applicant or employee, barring undue hardship.
AGE
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended, protects
applicants and employees 40 years of age or older from discrimination based on
age in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification,
referral, and other aspects of employment.
SEX (WAGES)
In addition to sex discrimination prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as
amended, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended, prohibits sex discrimination in
the payment of wages to women and men performing substantially equal work,
in jobs that require equal skill, effort, and responsibility, under similar working
conditions, in the same establishment.
GENETICS
Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 protects applicants
and employees from discrimination based on genetic information in hiring,
promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and
other aspects of employment. GINA also restricts employers’ acquisition of genetic
information and strictly limits disclosure of genetic information. Genetic information
includes information about genetic tests of applicants, employees, or their family
members; the manifestation of diseases or disorders in family members (family
medical history); and requests for or receipt of genetic services by applicants,
employees, or their family members.
RETALIATION
All of these Federal laws prohibit covered entities from retaliating against a
person who files a charge of discrimination, participates in a discrimination
proceeding, or other wise opposes an unlawful employment practice.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU BELIEVE DISCRIMINATION HAS OCCURRED
There are strict time limits for filing charges of employment discrimination. To
preserve the ability of EEOC to act on your behalf and to protect your right to file a
private lawsuit, should you ultimately need to, you should contact EEOC promptly
when discrimination is suspected:
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), 1-800-669-4000
(toll-free) or 1-800-669-6820 (toll-free TTY number for individuals with hearing
impairments). EEOC field office information is available at www.eeoc.gov or
in most telephone directories in the U.S. Government or Federal Government
section. Additional information about EEOC, including information about charge
filing, is available at www.eeoc.gov.