Los Angeles Discrimination Lawyer

The Statistical Truth About Discrimination

Our country has made a lot of progress towards equality in the last few decades. Some people think that we don’t even need legal protection against different forms of discrimination anymore. They seem to think that sexism, racism, ageism and other forms of prejudice are problems of the past. But is this really accurate?

Unfortunately, statistics suggest that job discrimination remains a problem in the United States, despite the improvements we’ve enjoyed. The Equal Employment Opportunity Committee (EEOC), the entity in charge of processing and resolving job discrimination claims, features the following numbers on their website:

Religious discrimination: In 2007, the EEOC received 2,880 complaints about religious discrimination in the workplace. The number of these complaints has been steadily increasing since 1997, when the EEOC received 1,709 complaints. Of all the complaints received last year, 194 were determined to have reasonable cause – that is, the plaintiff was able to prove they had faced discrimination. Considering how difficult it is to prove such a claim, it is not surprising that the number of cases won by the plaintiff was so low.

Racial discrimination: In 1997, the EEOC received 29,199 reports of racial discrimination in the workplace. By 2007, that number had increased to 30,510. Of the latter, 998 plaintiffs were able to successfully prove that they had received unfair and illegal treatment.

Sex discrimination: Unlike racial and religious discrimination, sex-based discrimination has not increased much in the last ten years. In 1997, 24,728 complaints were filed with the EEOC; in 2007, there were 24,826 complaints. Of the complaints made in 2007, 1,299 were found to have reasonable cause.

It is clear that discrimination remains a serious problem. If you have faced job discrimination and wish to take action, consult Los Angeles discrimination attorney Perry Smith at (888)356-2529.