As we step into 2025, let’s take a moment to reflect on the significant strides the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has made in its journey to promote equal employment opportunities. This post will take you through a brief history of their efforts, starting from their inception in 1965, the groundbreaking Experiences vs. Expectations report of 1977, to their latest report, offering insights into the changing demographics of the workforce. It’s heartening to see the progress made, but we’re reminded that there’s still work to be done. Racism and sexism can still be seen in job segregation, with women and people of color often occupying lower paying positions. Let’s delve into these issues and discuss the evolution and current state of equal employment opportunities.
The EEOC’s Journey
You probably remember that Gwen Guthrie song, “Ain’t nothin going on but the rent, you gotta have a J.O.B if you want to be with me.” According to the EEOC, there’s been improvement in the job front, but some people are still left without “romance” because they lack finance. The EEOC, marking its 60th anniversary, recently released an updated version of its Experiences vs. Expectations report. This report offers an insightful overview of the changes in the demographics of the workforce since the EEOC’s inception in 1965, as well as the ongoing challenges in achieving equal employment opportunities.
The New Report
The new report, an update to the EEOC’s groundbreaking 1977 report, Black Experiences Versus Black Expectations, examines changes in participation in nine job categories for African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, Indians/Alaskan Natives, and women. The report draws on data from the EEOC’s EEO-1 survey, collected between 1966 and 2013.
Findings and Observations
“Despite notable progress in diversity and inclusion in the workplace over the past half century, this report highlights continued job segregation by race and gender, with women and people of color disproportionately occupying lower paying positions,” said EEOC Chair Jenny R. Yang. The report includes the following observations:
- In 1966, African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian-Americans each made up less than 1 percent of senior-level positions. Since then, the participation rates for all three groups have increased by five to seven times.
- The participation rate of women in the Professionals category has skyrocketed from roughly 14 percent in 1966 to more than 53 percent in 2013.
- Women and minorities remain concentrated, or segregated, in lower paying positions. For example, in 2013:
- Hispanics composed 20.5 percent of Service Workers and 29.2 percent of Laborers, yet they were only 5.7 percent of Professionals and 7.4 percent of Officials and Managers.
- African-Americans composed 23.3 percent of Service Workers and 18.7 percent of Laborers, yet they were only 7.6 percent of Professionals and 6.8 percent of Officials and Managers.
Additional Resources
In conjunction with Experiences vs. American Expectations, the EEOC has produced a fact sheet highlighting key data points on each demographic group of workers covered in the report. These fact sheets—which include EEO-1 data, EEOC charge and litigation information, and agency outreach activities—are available with the report at www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/reports/.
Let’s continue to strive for a world where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. #EqualOpportunity #WorkplaceDiversity #EEOC #DiversityandInclusion #EqualEmployment
