2007 was a Record Year for EEOC Complaints
In 2007, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received the highest amount of discrimination complaints in five
years, the agency reported yesterday. The EEOC noted it received approximately 7,000 more complaints in 2007 than 2006, about a nine percent increase.
According to a report by Business Insurance, that’s the highest percentage increase in complaints since 1993.
The most common filed complaints deal with the most obvious: race, retaliation and gender. Those complaints came in at about 35,000 (up 12% from 2006),
26,600 (up 18%) and 24,800 (up 7%) respectively. The next most common complaints were age, disability, national origin and religion, according to Business
Insurance. A full breakdown of the charges can be found here (below).
“Corporate America needs to do a better job of proactively preventing discrimination and addressing complaints promptly and effectively,” said Commission Chair
Naomi C. Earp in a statement on the EEOC’s website. To ensure that equality of opportunity becomes a reality in the 21st century workplace, employers need to
place a premium on fostering inclusive and discrimination-free work environments for all individuals.”
This rising number doesn’t come as a surprise as various discrimination cases really are a dime a dozen. What isn’t clear is whether the rates of discrimination
have gone up, or if more people are reporting. The EEOC suggests several factors, such as “greater awareness of the law, changing economic conditions, and
increased diversity and demographic shifts in the labor force.”
