Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972

E32670

The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 is a U.S. federal law that strengthened and expanded federal enforcement of workplace anti-discrimination protections, particularly by enhancing the powers and coverage of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).


Statements (45)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute
civil rights law
aimsTo improve access to remedies for victims of employment discrimination
increase federal oversight of discriminatory employment practices
amends Civil Rights Act of 1964
amendsPart Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
changedThreshold reduced minimum number of employees for covered private employers
codifiedIn Title 42 of the United States Code
country United States
effect expanded EEOC enforcement powers beyond conciliation
extended Title VII coverage to additional employers
gave EEOC authority to bring civil actions in federal court
enactedBy 92nd United States Congress
enforcementMechanism EEOC-initiated lawsuits
referral of cases to the U.S. Department of Justice in certain circumstances
expandedCoverageTo educational institutions as employers
employment agencies
federal government employees
labor organizations
state and local governments as employers
grantsPowerTo Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
historicalContext post–Civil Rights Movement expansion of federal civil rights enforcement
jurisdiction federal government of the United States
legalDomain anti-discrimination law
labor and employment law
policyGoal eliminate systemic employment discrimination
promote equal opportunity in the workplace
protectsRight freedom from employment discrimination based on color
freedom from employment discrimination based on national origin
freedom from employment discrimination based on race
freedom from employment discrimination based on religion
freedom from employment discrimination based on sex
purpose to broaden coverage of workplace discrimination protections
to expand the powers of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
to strengthen federal enforcement of employment anti-discrimination laws
regulatesArea employment discrimination
equal employment opportunity
relatedTo Civil Rights Act of 1964
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
signedBy Richard Nixon
subjectOf federal employment discrimination litigation
legal scholarship on civil rights enforcement
typeOfRemedy civil enforcement
yearEnacted 1972

Referenced by (2)

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