Skip to main content
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Has religious discrimination been eradicated from the work environment or has it merely taken on another form? (Cates, 2021)

  • Findings

    See findings section of this profile.

    Evidence Rating

    Not Rated

Absence of conflict of interest. 

Citation

Cates, S.V., (2021). Has religious discrimination been eradicated from the work environment or has it merely taken on another form? Journal of Business Diversity, 21(2), 47-59. https://doi.org/10.33423/jbd.v21i2.4318

Highlights

  • The study's objective was to examine the impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on employment discrimination of workers in the United States. 

  • The study used a descriptive analysis to describe trends in the number of religious discrimination claims received and resolved by The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) between 1992 and 2019. Using data from the EEOC, the author identified trends in claims and types of resolutions.  

  • The study found an increase in the religious discrimination claims received and resolved by EEOC between 1992 to 2019. 

  • This study was reviewed using CLEAR’s descriptive study evidence review guidelines. As such, it does not receive a causal rating. 

Intervention Examined

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Features of the Study

The 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibited religious discrimination at the federal level in the United States. Specifically, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act stated that it was illegal for employers to treat their employees differently based on their religion and required employers to accommodate their employees’ religious beliefs unless these accommodations would cause the employer undue burden. In 1972, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act was amended to widen the definition of religion to include all religious practices, dress codes, and observances. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) oversees U.S. employee religious discrimination claims and accepts claims from anyone who works for an employer with at least fifteen employees and files a claim within 180 days (for private employees) or within 45 days (for federal employees) of the situation for which they are filing a claim. The study used EEOC data to describe trends in the claims received and resolved by EEOC between 1992 and 2019. The sample included all claims submitted to and resolved by EEOC during this time frame. 

Findings

Compliance 

  • The study found an overall increase in number of religious discrimination claims received by EEOC between 1992 and 2019, as well as an increase in the number of religious discrimination claims resolved by EEOC between 1992 and 2019. 

  • The study found an increase in number and decrease in percentage of religious discrimination settlements, withdrawal with benefits settlements, and administrative closure settlements by EEOC between 1992 and 2019.  

  • The study found an increase in number and percentage of religious discrimination resolutions with no reasonable cause by EEOC between 1992 and 2019. However, the study also found an increase in number and decrease in percentage of religious discrimination resolutions with reasonable cause and religious discrimination merit resolutions by EEOC between 1992 and 2019.  

  • The study found an increase in number and decrease in percentage of religious discrimination successful conciliation settlements by EEOC between 1992 and 2019, but also found an increase in number and no change in percentage of religious discrimination unsuccessful conciliation settlements by EEOC.  

  • The study found an increase in religious discrimination claims resolved in monetary benefits by EEOC between 1992 and 2019.  

Considerations for Interpreting the Findings

Although the author tracked EEOC reports and resolutions over time, they did not sufficiently account for preexisting trends before the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed and did not collect data from that time. Other factors could have affected the trends and these factors—not the Civil Rights Act of 1964—could explain the observed trends in EEOC claims and resolutions.  

Causal Evidence Rating

This study used an event study research design and therefore was reviewed using CLEAR’s descriptive study evidence review guidelines. As such, it does not receive a causal rating. 

Reviewed by CLEAR

February 2023

Topic Area