Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination
Questions And Answers
Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Laws
I. What Are the Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination?

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;

• the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination;

• the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older;

• Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments;

• Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities who work in the federal government; and

• the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces all of these laws. EEOC also provides oversight and coordination of all federal equal employment opportunity regulations, practices, and policies.

Discriminatory Practices
II. What Discriminatory Practices Are Prohibited by These Laws?
Under Title VII, the ADA, and the ADEA, it is illegal to discriminate in any aspect of employment, including:

• hiring and firing;

• compensation, assignment, or classification of employees;

• transfer, promotion, layoff, or recall;

• job advertisements;

• recruitment;

• testing;

• use of company facilities;

• training and apprenticeship programs;

• fringe benefits;

• pay, retirement plans, and disability leave; or

• other terms and conditions of employment.
  

Discriminatory practices under these laws also include:

• harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age;

• retaliation against an individual for filing a charge of discrimination, participating in an investigation, or opposing discriminatory practices;

• employment decisions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities, traits, or performance of individuals of a certain sex, race, age, religion, or ethnic group, or individuals with disabilities; and

• denying employment opportunities to a person because of marriage to, or association with, an individual of a particular race, religion, national origin, or an individual with a disability. Title VII also prohibits discrimination because of participation in schools or places of worship associated with a particular racial, ethnic, or religious group.

Employers are required to post notices to all employees advising them of their rights under the laws EEOC enforces and their right to be free from retaliation. Such notices must be accessible, as needed, to persons with visual or other disabilities that affect reading.

Note: Many states and municipalities also have enacted protections against discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, status as a parent, marital status and political affiliation.

If you think that you have been subjected to employment discrimination, please call the Fort Worth Texas Employment Lawyers at the Dr. Shezad Malik Law Firm for a confidential consultation at 888-210-9693 now. For further information please visit the EEOC website.

The Dr. Shezad Malik Law Firm is located in Southlake, Texas and represents clients in North Texas and the greater Dallas Fort-Worth area.