Civil Rights Act Of 1964: A Brief History Of Employment Discrimination

History of Employment Discrimination

Since the turn of the century, the history of discrimination within the workplace has been developing by adding new clauses and understandings. Many businesses have been accused of workplace discrimination over the past century or so. As such, government has tried to regulate discrimination in order to protect employees’ rights. State and federal agencies are in charge of overseeing that workplace discrimination and of ensuring that it does not occur to the best of their abilities. One of the most public developments in the history of discrimination within the workplace was the civil rights legislation in the U.S. That legislation required that the workplace was to be open to all employees, regardless of

In the United States constitution, there was no mention of women until the 1920s, when they were guaranteed the right to vote and slaves were not counted equals(Bethel College, 2005). In 1964, the government passed the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 that was amended by the Equal Opportunity Act of 1972 and the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to employers and labor unions with 15 or more employers, employment agencies, state and local governments, public and private educational institutions, and Federal government. This law was passed to eliminate employment discrimination based on color, religion, sex, or national origin. The only instance employers can discriminate is if religion, sex, or national origin are bona fide occupational qualifications(BFQQs) reasonably necessary to normal business operations, for example, refusing to hire a Catholic Priest for a Baptist church. The other case an employer may, technically, discriminate is if the discrimination results unintentionally from a seniority or merit system. Employers cannot discharge, refuse to hire, pay different compensation, or alter the terms, conditions, or privileges of employment based on