Additionally, as height, as well as weight, problems in the extreme may potentially constitute a handicap, the EOS should be aware of the need to make charging parties or potential charging parties aware of their right to proceed under other CPs, female and Hispanic rejected job applicants, filed charges alleging that their rejections, based on failure to meet the minimum height requirement, were discriminatory because their The study found that just over 50 percent of the countries of the European Union defined minimum-height requirements for police officers; however, there was significant variation in these requirements. because of her sex in that males were not subject to the policy. unjustified notions render its actions discriminatory since its distinctions are based on sex. What you'll need to achieve in each event to earn . Prohibited disparate treatment can also occur where maximum weight limitations are imposed on females in exclusively female job categories such as flight attendants but not on male employees such as directors of passenger service who perform On a case-by-case 3 (November 19, 1976), and No. with discrimination based on sex, national origin, and to a lesser extent, race. Investigation revealed that the weight policy was strictly applied to females, that females were However, Marines have more restrictive height standards with make applicants having a range of between 58 inches and 78 inches while female applicants should fall between 58 inches . (b) The following information should be secured in documentary form, where available, from the respondent: (1) A written policy statement, or statement of practices involving use of height and weight requirements; (2) A breakdown of the employer's workforce showing protected Title VII status as it relates to use of height and weight requirements; (3) A statement of reasons or justifications for, or defenses to, use of height and weight requirements as they relate to actual job duties performed; (4) A determination of what the justification is based on, i.e., an outside evaluation, subjective assertions, observations of employees' job performance, etc. 1979). b. the media's portrayal of law enforcement officers. 70-140, CCH EEOC Decisions (1973) 6067, which alleged disparate treatment, reliance on a policy against hiring overweight applicants was found to be a pretext for racial discrimination as only Black applicants 7601 (5th Cir. Since it is as to preserve the charging parties' appeal rights, but without further investigation. Only when it can be determined as a matter of law that it is a question of weight as a mutable characteristic as in the Cox, supra type situation presented in Examples 1 and 3 above should further processing cease; otherwise as in Jog up three floors and then descend, four times 3. Many employers impose minimum weight requirements on applicants or employees. establish a business necessity defense. In order to establish that a group member protected under Title VII was adversely affected by a maximum height requirement, it must first be shown that the particular group of which (s)he is a member would be disproportionately affected by such a The number of Hispanic females in the employer's workforce was double their representation in the relevant labor market, and there was no police officer. sandbag up a flight of stairs and scale a 14-foot log wall. discriminated on the basis of sex because large numbers of females were automatically excluded from consideration. 76-83, CCH Employment Who. (See the processing instructions in 621.5(a).). subject to the employees' personal control. Dothard v. Rawlinson, 433 U.S. 321, 14 EPD 7632 (1977); citing Griggs v. Duke Power Co., 401 U.S. 424, 3 EPD 8137 (1971). course be less. Even though the job categories are different in this case, since the jobs are public contact jobs and R is Answer (1 of 8): There used to be. 1607. very charts which are standard, and which are relied on to establish height/weight in proportion to body size contain different permissible limits for men and women in recognition of the physiological differences between the two groups. in discharge. supra court cases came to different conclusions. 1982), vacating in part panel opinion in, 648 F.2d 1223, 26 EPD 31,921 (9th Cir. As R's maximum weight policy is applied only to females, the policy is discriminatory. CP, a 5'5 1/2" female applicant, applied for but was denied a police officer job. Frequently Asked Questions. Accord Horace v. City of Pontiac, 624 F.2d 765, 23 EPD 31,069 (6th Cir. discrimination against him because of his sex (male) because of national statistics which show that women are on average shorter than men. The EOS should therefore refer to the decisions and examples set out in the following section for guidance. to applicants for guardpositions constitutes unlawful sex discrimination in violation of Title VII. The policy was not uniformly applied. In two charges previously constitutionally protected category." 131 M Street, NE
LockA locked padlock 884, 17 EPD 8462 (E.D. presented to the Commission by Black and Hispanic women both groups were unable to meet the first requirement of proving statistically that, on average, their groups weighed more. 71-1418, CCH EEOC Decisions (1973) 6223, the Commission found, based on national statistics, that a minimum 5'5" height requirement disproportionately excluded large numbers of women and Hispanics. Unlike minimum height requirements where setting different standards has been found to alternatives that have less of an adverse impact. b. the media's portrayal of law enforcement officers. Like the above example and in Commission Decision Nos. (See the examples in 621.3(a), above.). Example (1) - Prison Correctional Counselors - In Dothard v. Rawlinson, supra, the Supreme Court found that applying a requirement of minimum height of 5'2" and weight of 120 lbs. The maximum score per event is 100 points, with a total maximum ACFT score of 600. Otherwise stated, if the allegation is that women as a class are, based on statistics, more frequently overweight than men, this charge should be dismissed in such a manner It is nonetheless conceivable that charges could be brought challenging a maximum height requirement as discriminatory. plaintiff's legal theory was inadequate since weight is subject to one's control and not an unchangeable characteristic entitled to protection under Title VII. This 1983 document addresses the application of EEO laws to employer rules setting a maximum height and/or weight for particular jobs. Citizenship: A U.S. citizen or permanent resident with a valid Green Card. height requirement was necessary for the safe and efficient operation of its business. substantially more difficulty than males maintaining the proper weight/height limits. height, did not constitute an adequate business necessity defense. Thereafter, the Court determined that the burden which shifted (b) Theories of Discrimination: 604. (See 621.1(b)(2)(i) above and A healthy and fit lifestyle is an essential element of being a police officer. For Deaf/Hard of Hearing callers:
Fla. 1976), aff'd, 14 EPD The training program is not designed to "get in shape", but rather to allow you to enhance . was not hired because of the minimum weight requirement, several White females who applied at the same time and who also were under 140 lbs. opposed to males. Investigation revealed evidence supporting CP's contention and that R had no Chinese female. In the decisions referred to above, the Commission also based its decisions on the lack of evidence of disparate treatment and the absence of evidence of adverse Since this is not a trait peculiar to females as a matter of law, or which in any event would be entitled to protection under Title VII, and since no other basis exists for concluding that This was adequate to meet the charging parties' burden of establishing a prima facie case. proportion to height based on national height/weight charts. of right to sue issued to protect the charging party's appeal rights. When that happens, the Office of Legal Counsel, Guidance Division should be contacted for assistance. Part of that requirement would entail a showing that the charging party's protected group weighs more on average than other groups and is therefore disproportionately excluded from employment. statistically more females than males exceed the permissible maximum weight limit. conclusions, was inadequate to constitute a business necessity defense. consideration for employment. Lift and drag a 165-pound mannequin 40 feet 4. (Where other than public contact positions are involved, They did not fairly and substantially relate to the performance of the duties of a police According to CPs, the standard height/weight charts are based on and reflect height and weight measurements of White females since they constitute the majority of the population, not Black females who to applicants for guard CP alleged that the denial was based on her race, not on her height, because R hired other applicants under 5'8" tall. geographical region that is not as tall as other Native Americans, it would not be appropriate to use national statistics on Native Americans in the analysis. Therefore, imposing different Employees or applicants of federal agencies should contact their EEO Counselor. discussion of Dothard v. Rawlinson, supra. Conceding that the CPs had established a prima facie case, R defended on Therefore, absent a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason, discrimination can result from the imposition of different maximum height standards or no maximum height In Commission Decision No. likely be disproportionately excluded as compared to their actual numbers in the population. Relying on national statistics, the Court reasoned that over forty (40) percent of the female population, as compared with only one percent of the male population, For decades, the LAPD demanded that its officers measure up to 5 feet, 8 inches. CP alleges that this constitutes The required height for female police officers in the state is 1.63 meters (just over five feet three inches). validate a test that measures strength directly. CP, a 6'7" male, applied but was rejected for a police officer position because he is over the maximum height. 1980), dec. on rem'd from, ___ F.2d ___, 24 EPD 31,211 (5th Cir. The Aviation Class 1 limits include: a minimum height of 163cm and maximum of 193cm, a sitting height maximum of 100cm and a buttock-to-knee limit of 67cm. aides. Decision No. Along these lines, the issue that the EOS might encounter is an assertion that, since weight is not an immutable characteristic, it is permissible to discriminate based on weight. Reasons for these minimum height standards are as varied as the employers, ranging from assumptions of public preferences for taller persons, to paternalistic notions regarding women, to assumptions that taller persons are physically The minimum age requirement for a police officer is between 18-21 years of age. R, in response to the charge, contends that there is no sex discrimination because maintaining the proper weight is Investigation revealed that R had no Black assembly line workers and that a v. Duke Power Co., 401 U.S. 424, 3 EPD 8137 (1971). The respondent's contention that the minimum requirements bore a relationship to strength was rejected outright since no supportive evidence was produced. Absent such a showing, a prima facie case is not established. The Physical Ability Test consists of three subtests; sit-ups, push-ups and the 1.5 mile run. The court in U.S. v. Lee Way Motor Freight, Inc., 7 EPD 9066 (D.C. Ok. 1973), found that a trucking company's practice of nonuniform application of a minimum height requirement constituted prohibited race discrimination. You'll need to score a minimum of 60 points on each of the six events in order to pass the ACFT with a minimum total score of 360. Additionally, the Black female was unable to show that statistically females. weight requirement. CPs, The result is that, if meeting a minimum height or weight limit is a requirement for employment, these protected group members will most A police department minimum height requirement of 67 inches was found in Dothard v. Rawlinson (cited below) to preclude consideration of more females than males since the average height for females is 63 inches, and the average height for males is 68.2 inches. In this respect the So I turned my interests into Emergency Medical Services. For Armed Forces female applicants, the cause for rejection to the U.S. military is height less than 58 inches and more than 80 inches according to some statistics. impact, respecting actual representation of Black or Hispanic females in the employer's workforce. CP, a 6'6" Black candidate for a pilot trainee position, alleges that he was rejected, not because he exceeded the maximum height, but * As an example, The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) combine the above and add a height/weight requirement. Employment preference is given to Florida Certified Law Enforcement Officers with one year of sworn law enforcement . For instance, if the charging party is from a particular Indian tribe located almost exclusively in a particular bore a relationship to strength were found to be inadequate absent evidence showing a correlation between height and weight requirements and strength. Using a different standard for females as opposed to males was found to violate the Act. (i) If there are documents get copies. According to the United States Army official site for recruiting, the height range for recruits starts at 5'0 and ends at 6'8 for men and 4'10 to 6'8 for women. In that case, a Black female was rejected because she exceeded the maximum allowable hip size with respect to her height and weight. But on Tuesday, a court in . Your height and weight is roughly that of a typical ten year old boy or eleven or twelve year old girl. (1) Secure a detailed statement delineating exactly what kind of height and weight requirements are being used and how they are being used. the requirement. officer. all protected groups or classes. (1) Disparate Treatment Analysis - The disparate treatment analysis is typically applicable where the respondent has a height or weight requirement, but it is only enforced against one protected discrimination. men must be disproportionately excluded from employment by a maximum height requirement, in the same manner as women are disproportionately excluded from employment by a minimum height requirement. Indeed, the The court was not persuaded by respondent's argument that taller officers have the advantage in subduing suspects and observing field situations, so as to make the Meanwhile, the maximum age requirement is often based on the amount of time it would take an officer to retire with full benefits . height/weight chart. similarly situated 5'7" female or Hispanic would not be excluded. information only on official, secure websites. In Commission Decision No. In Dothard v. Rawlinson, supra and Meadows v. Ford Motor Co., 62 FRD 98, 5 EPD 8468 (D.C. Ky. 1973), the respondent was unable to show the existence of a valid relationship between its minimum weight requirement and The general provisions of Title VII prohibiting discrimination have a direct and obvious application where the selection criteria include height or weight requirements. The defendants responded that height and weight requirements "have a relationship to strength, . Height and Weight Qualifications Most police departments impose proportional weight-to-height restrictions on incoming recruits. Gerdom v. Continental Air Lines Inc., 692 F.2d 602, 30 EPD 33,156 (9th Cir. required to successfully perform a job. 763, 6 EPD 8930 (D.C. D.C. 1973) (other issues, but not this issue, were appealed), when faced with a maximum height requirement, concluded that different maximum height According to respondent, taller officers enjoyed a psychological advantage and thus would less often be attacked, were better able to subdue suspects, and This is the range specified on the Army official website that displays its height and weight calculator. Members of the 155th trooper training class salute during . evidence of adverse impact, the height and weight components must nonetheless be separately evaluated for evidence of adverse impact. One year of sworn law enforcement officers Legal Counsel, guidance Division should be for! 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