Filing a charge of discrimination with the EEOC is not difficult for a motivated former employee. A lawyer is not necessary and there is enough instruction from the EEOC and the world wide web to give someone pretty detailed guidance on what to do. Once the complaint is filed the EEOC (or similar state agency) will request a response from the employer which means time, costs, and even attorneys’ fees. The EEOC’s 2015 numbers show a rise in complaints by 5% to around 89,000 charges. The details are here. Here is how the charges break down:
- Retaliation: 39,757 (44.5% of all charges filed)
- Race: 31,027 (34.7%)
- Disability: 26,968 (30.2%)
- Sex: 26,396 (29.5%)
- Age: 20,144 (22.5%)
- National Origin: 9,438 (10.6%)
- Religion: 3,502 (3.9%)
- Color: 2,833 (3.2%)
- Equal Pay Act: 973 (1.1%)
- Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act: 257 (0.3%)
