The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) marked its 50th anniversary in 2015. In August, the EEOC published “American Experiences Versus American Expectations,” a report documenting changes in employee demographics since 1965 and using data through 2013.
The full report, available on the EEOC’s website, details a number of changes over nine job categories for women, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and American Indians/Alaskan Natives. Drawing on decades of data from mandatory EEO-1 filings, the EEOC reports that participation of women in the “professionals” category, which was fourteen (14%) percent in 1966, had increased to more than fifty-three (53%) percent by 2013. Moreover, there have been significant percentage increases for African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans in senior-level positions. However, the report also shows that there are still heavy concentrations of minorities in lower-paying positions.
The EEOC is also recognizing the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The EEOC reports that in 2014 it received more than 25,000 charges of disability discrimination, and that ADA claims make up approximately one-third of the agency’s litigation docket.