Overview of Employment Discrimination

Employment discrimination is a specific area of employment law. Numerous federal or state statutes provide for protected classes of individuals based upon innate characteristics. Employment discrimination law protects employees who fit into these classes from discrimination by their employer based upon these characteristics. This chapter defines the purpose of employment discrimination law and the role of the federal and state governments in its enforcement. It then identifies the major federal employment discrimination laws and the agencies charged with their administration. All of these laws establish rights for covered employees and place affirmative obligations upon covered employers.

VOCABULARY & CONCEPTS