Retaliation remained the most frequently filed charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), both in Hawaii and nationally, based on recently released statistics. The EEOC’s Enforcement and Litigation Statistics breaks down the 72,675 charges of workplace discrimination the agency received in fiscal year 2019. The statistics are posted on the agency’s website, which also includes a detailed breakdown of charges by state.
According to the data, after retaliation, the next most frequently filed charges in Hawaii were sex, disability, race, and then national origin; while nationally, the order was disability, race, sex, and then age. Specifically, the charge numbers show the following breakdowns by bases alleged:
|
Basis |
% of Hawaii charges filed |
% of National charges filed |
|
Retaliation |
53.9% |
53.8% |
|
Sex |
40.6% |
32.4% |
|
Disability |
34.2% |
33.4% |
|
Race |
24.8% |
33.0% |
|
National Origin |
19.1% |
9.6% |
|
Age |
17.9% |
21.4% |
|
Color |
7.9% |
4.7% |
|
Religion |
2.7% |
3.7% |
|
Equal Pay Act |
0.9% |
1.5% |
|
Genetic Information |
0.3% |
0.3%` |
Note: These percentages add up to more than 100 because some charges alleged multiple bases.
According to the Report, of the 12,739 charges of sex-based harassment, 7,514 were sexual harassment charges. The EEOC also reported that it obtained $68.2 million in monetary benefits for victims of sexual harassment.
The EEOC additionally reported that it resolved 80,806 charges of discrimination and reported filing 144 merits lawsuits alleging discrimination in FY 2019.
If you want to keep discrimination and harassment out of your workplace, HEC can help! We offer training for supervisors and staff through our Fundamentals of Supervision series and in-house programs.