What federal laws prohibit job discrimination?

Federal  laws that prohibit job discrimination include the following:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.
• The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which amended Title VII to make it illegal to discriminate against a woman because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth.
• The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination.
• The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which prohibits gender-based pay discrimination.
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older.
• Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector and in state and local governments.
• Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), which prohibits employment discrimination based on genetic information about an applicant, employee, or former employee; and
• The Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.
• The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which prohibits discrimination based on an employee's need for a reasonable accommodation related to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces all of these laws. The EEOC also provides oversight and coordination of all federal equal employment opportunity regulations, practices and policies.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

For detailed information on these federal laws, see Federal Statutes, Regulations and Guidance.