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Pregnancy Discrimination Act Essay

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Pregnancy Discrimination Act Essay
Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act is a very important law when it comes to equal employment opportunity. This law ensures that it is illegal for an employer to discriminate against women for becoming pregnant or for anything associated with pregnancy or childbirth. If a woman is pregnant and is still able to work the job she was currently working before, or can effectively complete the tasks a job requires for which she may be applying, the employer must treat her no different than any other and must let her work. This law also means that if a pregnant woman is unable to complete the tasks required at her current occupation and has a notice from her doctor stating so, the employer must let the woman
…show more content…
Duke Power Company employed two racially divided work forces and was charged with job discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After the act passed, Duke Power Company began requiring applicants to have a high school diploma and pass a written test to qualify for certain job positions. The plaintiff proved that 34 percent of the white males but only 12 percent of the black males had a high school diploma. No employment necessity could be found for the educational requirement because the men who already worked there performed their jobs well without having a high school diploma. The employment qualification was then proved to be discriminatory and the Supreme Court ruled against Duke Power Company in a 8-0 vote, stating that “If an employment practice which operates to exclude Negroes cannot be shown to be related to job performance, the practice is prohibited,” (Bozarth and Handfiled …show more content…
Since the case was decided, human resources and hiring coordinators should avoid asking any non-job related questions that could include educational background as well as any information regarding conviction, credit, and garnishment records if the knowledge of such is not directly related to job

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