HR Chapter 3 Equal Employment Opportunity
1. Protected Category:
✔️ A group designated for protection under Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws and
regulations.
2. Blind to Differences:
✔️ This concept suggests that differences among individuals should be overlooked, and all people
should be treated the same way.
3. Affirmative Action:
✔️ Employers are encouraged to hire individuals based on their race, age, gender, or national origin
to address historical discrimination. This includes requirements for federal contractors to document the
inclusion of women and racial minorities in their workforce and submit plans outlining efforts to bridge
gaps between their workforce composition and that of the labor markets from which they recruit.
4. Quid Pro Quo:
✔️ This refers to a type of sexual harassment where employment outcomes are dependent on the
individual granting sexual favors.
5. Disabled Person:
✔️ An individual with a physical or mental impairment that significantly restricts life activities,
someone with a record of such an impairment, or an individual regarded as having such an impairment.
6. EEO Concepts:
✔️ Includes principles such as business necessity, job relatedness, bona fide occupational
qualifications (BFOQs), the burden of proof, and non-retaliatory practices.
7. Title VII:
✔️ It is illegal for employers to refuse to hire or terminate any individual or otherwise discriminate
with regard to employment compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges based on race, color, religion,
, sex, or national origin. It is also illegal to limit or segregate employees or applicants in ways that deprive
them of employment opportunities or adversely affect their status based on these characteristics.
8. Title VII Basic Provisions:
✔️ Forms the basis for several extensions of EEO laws, applying to all private employers with 15 or
more employees working 20 or more weeks a year, educational institutions (public and private), state
and local governments, public and private employment agencies, labor unions with 15 or more
members, and joint labor-management apprenticeship and training committees.
9. Civil Rights Act of 1991:
✔️ Requires employers to demonstrate that any employment practice is job-related and consistent
with business necessity. It clarifies that individuals filing complaints must identify specific employer
practices being challenged and show that their protected-class status influenced their treatment. It
targets intentional discrimination.
10. Affirmative Action Justification:
✔️ Aimed at rectifying past injustices or eliminating their lingering effects, promoting greater
equality, while recognizing that raising the employment levels of protected-class members ultimately
benefits society, despite possible temporary disadvantages to some individuals. It emphasizes progress
through goals rather than quotas.
11. Affirmative Action Critique:
✔️ Critics argue it penalizes individuals (e.g., males and whites) who have not engaged in
discriminatory practices, suggesting it's no longer necessary, particularly after significant political
milestones like the election of an African American president. It may also lead to polarization and stigma
for those it intends to support, with goals potentially turning into rigid quotas.
12. Comparable Worth:
✔️ This concept relates to pay equity and has emerged due to the persistent wage gap between men
and women.
13. Employer Responses to Sexual Harassment:
1. Protected Category:
✔️ A group designated for protection under Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws and
regulations.
2. Blind to Differences:
✔️ This concept suggests that differences among individuals should be overlooked, and all people
should be treated the same way.
3. Affirmative Action:
✔️ Employers are encouraged to hire individuals based on their race, age, gender, or national origin
to address historical discrimination. This includes requirements for federal contractors to document the
inclusion of women and racial minorities in their workforce and submit plans outlining efforts to bridge
gaps between their workforce composition and that of the labor markets from which they recruit.
4. Quid Pro Quo:
✔️ This refers to a type of sexual harassment where employment outcomes are dependent on the
individual granting sexual favors.
5. Disabled Person:
✔️ An individual with a physical or mental impairment that significantly restricts life activities,
someone with a record of such an impairment, or an individual regarded as having such an impairment.
6. EEO Concepts:
✔️ Includes principles such as business necessity, job relatedness, bona fide occupational
qualifications (BFOQs), the burden of proof, and non-retaliatory practices.
7. Title VII:
✔️ It is illegal for employers to refuse to hire or terminate any individual or otherwise discriminate
with regard to employment compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges based on race, color, religion,
, sex, or national origin. It is also illegal to limit or segregate employees or applicants in ways that deprive
them of employment opportunities or adversely affect their status based on these characteristics.
8. Title VII Basic Provisions:
✔️ Forms the basis for several extensions of EEO laws, applying to all private employers with 15 or
more employees working 20 or more weeks a year, educational institutions (public and private), state
and local governments, public and private employment agencies, labor unions with 15 or more
members, and joint labor-management apprenticeship and training committees.
9. Civil Rights Act of 1991:
✔️ Requires employers to demonstrate that any employment practice is job-related and consistent
with business necessity. It clarifies that individuals filing complaints must identify specific employer
practices being challenged and show that their protected-class status influenced their treatment. It
targets intentional discrimination.
10. Affirmative Action Justification:
✔️ Aimed at rectifying past injustices or eliminating their lingering effects, promoting greater
equality, while recognizing that raising the employment levels of protected-class members ultimately
benefits society, despite possible temporary disadvantages to some individuals. It emphasizes progress
through goals rather than quotas.
11. Affirmative Action Critique:
✔️ Critics argue it penalizes individuals (e.g., males and whites) who have not engaged in
discriminatory practices, suggesting it's no longer necessary, particularly after significant political
milestones like the election of an African American president. It may also lead to polarization and stigma
for those it intends to support, with goals potentially turning into rigid quotas.
12. Comparable Worth:
✔️ This concept relates to pay equity and has emerged due to the persistent wage gap between men
and women.
13. Employer Responses to Sexual Harassment:
