Study: Texas among worst states for workplace discrimination

Texas has the nation’s 12th-highest rate of workplace discrimination, according to a law firm’s recent analysis of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data.    

California-based employment law firm Eldessouky Law combed through the EEOC’s most recent dataset, which covers the total number of workplace discrimination charges filed in 2021. Researchers then tabulated states’ discrimination rates by measuring their total number of charges against their respective populations. 

Texas, it turns out, was in the top quartile with a rate of 55 charges filed per 100,000 people.  According to the study, the five most common types of workplace discrimination faced in Texas are:  

• Retaliation – 3,768 charges filed in 2021
  
• Disability – 2,385 charges filed in 2021
  
• Racial – 2,068 charges filed in 2021
  
• Sexual – 1,991 charges filed in 2021
  
• Age – 1,454 charges filed in 2021

Retaliation isn’t just a problem in the Lone Star State. It’s the most common form of discrimination across all 50 states, according to the report.

Retaliation happens when a manager takes disciplinary action against a employee for making a formal complaint about workplace harassment or discrimination. U.S. workers are legally protected when filing such harassment complaints, making it illegal for an employer to seek retribution against them.

Tennessee takes the top spot for workplace discrimination rates, the report shows. The Volunteer State had rate of 79 charges per 100,000 people. It’s followed closely by Arkansas, which showed a discrimination rate of 77 charges per 100,000 people.

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This article appears in Feb 7-20, 2024.