Return to Home PageThe U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC or Commission) was established by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), with a mission of eradicating discrimination in the workplace. In the federal sector, the EEOC enforces Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which prohibits employment discrimination against individuals 40 years of age and older; the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in compensation for substantially similar work under similar conditions; and Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act), which prohibit employment discrimination against federal employees and applicants with disabilities.
This is the EEOC's annual report to the President and to Congress on equal employment programs in the federal workplace. This annual report is submitted pursuant to the EEOC's responsibility for monitoring federal agency compliance with Section 717 of Title VII and Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act. This report covers fiscal year (FY) 2003, the period from October 1, 2002, through September 30, 2003.
The Commission is charged with monitoring federal agency compliance with EEO laws and procedures, and reviewing and assessing the effect of agencies' compliance with requirements to maintain continuing affirmative employment programs to promote EEO and to identify and eliminate barriers to equality of employment opportunity. Agencies are also required to provide the EEOC information concerning pre-complaint counseling, complaint processing, and the disposition of complaints of discrimination. Additionally, agencies must provide reports detailing their alternative dispute resolution (ADR) programs. Agencies are required to allocate sufficient resources for their EEO programs; provide for the prompt, fair, and impartial processing of EEO complaints; and conduct a continuing campaign to eradicate discrimination from their personnel policies, practices, and working conditions. Agencies must also establish a system for periodically evaluating the sufficiency and effectiveness of their EEO programs.
To prepare this report, the Commission relied on federal agencies' submissions of timely and reliable data to the EEOC. This data, however, has not been verified.
This page was last modified on May 14, 2004.