Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
Federal law prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
What Is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act?
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the foundational US employment anti-discrimination law. It prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating in hiring, firing, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment. Title VII covers both intentional discrimination (disparate treatment) and unintentional discrimination (disparate impact). The EEOC has confirmed that Title VII applies to AI-driven hiring decisions: employers are responsible for ensuring their AI tools do not create unlawful disparate impact, even when the tools are developed by third-party vendors.
Related Terms
Adverse Impact
A substantially different rate of selection in hiring that disadvantages members of a protected group.
Read moreDisparate Impact
Employment practices that are facially neutral but have a disproportionately negative effect on a protected group.
Read moreSelection Rate
The proportion of applicants from a particular group who are hired or advanced to the next stage.
Read moreProtected Class
A group of people sharing a characteristic protected by anti-discrimination law, such as race, sex, age, or disability.
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