Discrimination in the Workplace

Discrimination in the workplace is prohibited by the following laws:

  • Executive Order 01.01.01.16- Governor's Code on Fair Employment Practices
  • Article 49B of the Annotated Code of Maryland
  • Title 20, Human Relations, Subtitle 6- Discrimination in Employment
    Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;
  • 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 Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older;
  • Title I and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (ADA), which prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments;
  • Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination and requires employers with federal contracts or subcontracts that exceed $10,000 to take affirmative action to hire, retain, and promote qualified individuals with disabilities.
  • 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

It is illegal to discriminate in any aspect of employment, based on the aforementioned anti-discrimination laws, including:

  • Hiring and firing;
  • Compensation, assignment, or classification of employees;
  • Transfer, promotion, layoff, or recall;
  • Job advertisements;
  • Recruitment;
  • Testing;
  • Use of company facilities;
  • Training and apprenticeship programs;
  • Fringe benefits;
  • Pay, retirement plans, and disability leave; or
  • Other terms and conditions of employment.

Discriminatory practices under these laws also include:

  • Harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information or age;
  • Retaliation against an individual for filing a charge of discrimination, participating in an investigation, or opposing discriminatory practices;
  • Employment decisions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities, traits, or performance of individuals of a certain sex, race, age, religion, or ethnic group, or individuals with disabilities, or based on myths or assumptions about an individual's genetic information; and
  • Denying employment opportunities to a person because of marriage to, or association with, an individual of a particular race, religion, national origin, or an individual with a disability. Title VII also prohibits discrimination because of participation in schools or places of worship associated with a particular racial, ethnic, or religious group. (http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html)

If you would like to file a complaint of discrimination, with the BSU Equity Compliance Office, please download a download an Equal Employment Opportunity-related Complaint form or fill out the online version of the Equal Employment Opportunity-related Complaint Form.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the University's Equity Compliance Office by emailing EEO@bowiestate.edu.