The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced new statistics indicating discrimination charges against private sector employers increased for the first time since 2002. The EEOC reports a total of 75,768 discrimination charges were filed against private sector employers in 2006.
Most Frequent Charges: The most frequent charges were based on race (27,238), sex (23,247) and retaliation (22,555), as in past years. Other frequently cited charge bases were disability (15,625), age (13,569), national origin (8,327), and religion (2,541).
Sexual Harassment Charges: In addition, 12,025 sexual harassment charges and a record 4,901 pregnancy discrimination charges were filed with the EEOC and with state and local Fair Employment Practices Agencies combined. Fifteen percent of the sexual harassment charges were filed by men, a new record.
Charges Resolved: 74,308 private sector charges were resolved in 2006, with a historically high merit factor for charging parties of more than 22 percent. A record 8,201 cases were resolved through voluntary mediation.
Monetary Relief: The EEOC recovered approximately $274 million in monetary relief for charging parties -- $44 million through litigation and $230 million through administrative enforcement, including mediation. In addition, the agency obtained substantial non-monetary relief, such as employer training, policy implementation, reasonable accommodations, and other measures to promote discriminate-free workplaces.
More detailed information on the EEOC’s 2006 statistics is available online.
