ace, color, sex, pregnancy, or national origin (Cicmanec & Kleiner, 2002, p. 3). The Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Equal Pay Act, and the ADA followed the 1964 Civil Rights Act and essentially expanded the EEOCÆs jurisdiction.
Generally, the EEOC becomes involved in an employment discrimination allegation when an employee or former employee of an organization files a charge with the EEOC alleging such discrimination. Once the EEOC determines that the charge meets the specific criteria set out in the Acts named above, the EEOC has several options. It can choose to launch an investigation, recommend mediation, attempt conciliation or pursue litigation (Cicmanec & Kleiner, 2002, p. 3).
Interestingly enough, the EEOC prefers not to launch an investigation because they are very expensive and time-consuming. They require that the EEOC interview and evaluate all the persons involved and collect pertinent information and, sometimes, statistical data. For example, by the late 1990s, the EEOC's average processing time for each case was over 600 days and the Commis
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