The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency responsible for enforcing laws that prohibit workplace discrimination. Every year, the agency releases a detailed breakdown of the complaints they received and investigated over the last 12 months. The data for 2018 was just made public, and it contains a few surprising statistics. Here are some of the key takeaways from the 2018 data:
Retaliation Holds Onto the Top Spot
Over 76,000 workplace discrimination complaints were filed with the EEOC last year, and more than half of these complaints were related to retaliation. This isn’t surprising since retaliation is the most commonly reported form of workplace discrimination year after year. Sadly, it seems employers have still not learned that there are consequences for illegally retaliating against an employee.
Retaliation took the top spot again this year, but a few other forms of discrimination were not far behind. Sex discrimination complaints accounted for about 32.3% of total complaints, whereas race and disability discrimination complaints each comprised about 32.2% of all charges.
#MeToo Movement Makes Its Mark
There was a 13.6% increase in the number of sexual harassment complaints filed with the EEOC from 2017 to 2018. The EEOC’s acting chair, Victoria A. Lipnic, said the #MeToo movement could have led to this drastic increase by inspiring more victims to speak out against their harassers. Based on this data, it’s clear that the #MeToo movement has left its mark in the workplace.
Employers Paid Over $500 Million to Victims in Discrimination Lawsuits
The EEOC filed nearly 200 lawsuits on behalf of discrimination victims in 2018. By the end of the year, the EEOC had successfully recovered $505 million in compensation for victims of workplace discrimination. About 11% of this compensation, or $56.6 million, was awarded to victims of sexual harassment.
There’s Still A Long Road Ahead
The number of total discrimination complaints filed with the EEOC dropped in 2018. This is certainly a step in the right direction, but there is still a long road ahead when it comes to stopping workplace discrimination. Hopefully, this number will continue to decline over the next several years.
Are you being discriminated against at work? If so, contact Armstrong & Vaught, P.L.C. at once. Let our experienced attorneys seek justice against your employer for violating your workplace rights. Call us at (918) 582-2500 or toll-free at (800) 722-8880 or complete the simple form below for a free consultation with a skilled attorney.