Doctoral Dissertation Research: Organizational Response to Discrimination Charges

反歧视法真的能促进工作场所的机会平等吗？利用从联邦平等就业机会委员会获得的纵向数据，结合从在线商业目录收集的公司层面数据，我们通过研究工作组织如何应对根据联邦反歧视法提出的歧视指控来解决这个问题。执法统计数据显示，只有不到五分之一的工人赢得了对雇主的歧视诉讼。鉴于这种明显的雇主优势，本研究的第一阶段考察了工作组织成功捍卫歧视指控的机制，特别关注法律资源和经验在确保雇主获胜方面所起的作用。其次，为了确定歧视索赔的长期影响，本研究评估了歧视指控、和解和诉讼是否会影响公司在性别和种族多样性方面的进展。研究结果将确定在歧视指控之后，组织在多大程度上改善了妇女和少数民族的就业机会，并为正在进行的关于民权法带来社会变革的潜力的理论辩论提供见解。除了理论贡献之外，这项研究对联邦反歧视法的执行具有直接的政策意义。首先，分析将详细说明雇主在解决歧视指控方面保持优势的机制，并确定工人获胜的罕见条件。这些信息将有助于监管机构为投诉人和雇主争取公平的收费结果。此外，还将详细分析反歧视执法工作的后果，包括投诉、和解和诉讼，以使雇主遵守平等就业机会法。通过向公平就业机构传播研究结果，该项目将使管理官员能够确定促进在工作场所实现性别和种族平等的执行机制。

SES-0602496Barbara ReskinElizabeth HirshABSTRACTDo antidiscrimination laws actually enhance equality of opportunity in the workplace? Using longitudinal data obtained the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission combined with firm-level data collected from an online business directory, we address this question by examining how work organizations respond to discrimination charges filed under federal antidiscrimination laws. Enforcement statistics reveal that fewer than one in five workers win discrimination claims against their employers. Given this clear employer advantage, the first stage of this research examines the mechanisms by which work organizations successfully defend discrimination charges, with specific attention to the role legal resources and experience play in ensuring victory for employers. Second, in an effort to identify the long term impact of discrimination claims, this research assesses whether discrimination charges, settlements, and lawsuits affects firms' progress toward sex and racial diversity. Research findings will identify the extent to which organizations improve employment opportunities for women and racial minorities in the wake of discrimination charges, and provide insight into an ongoing theoretical debate regarding the potential of civil rights law to bring about social change. Beyond its theoretical contribution, this research has direct policy implications for the enforcement of federal antidiscrimination laws. First, analyses will detail the mechanisms by which employers maintain an advantage in resolving discrimination charges and identify the rare conditions under which workers win. This information will aid regulatory agents in securing fair charge outcomes for complainants and employers alike. In addition, analyses will detail the consequence of antidiscrimination enforcement efforts -- including complaint filings, settlements, and litigation-- for obtaining employers' compliance with equal employment opportunity laws. By disseminating research findings to fair employment agencies, this project will enable regulatory officials to identify the enforcement mechanisms that facilitate progress toward gender and racial equity in the workplace.