For a thorough discussion of these and similar problems, the EOS should consult 610, Adverse Impact in the Selection Process; and the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Therefore, imposing different The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) combine the above and add a height/weight requirement. Harless v. Duck, 619 F.2d 611, 22 EPD 30,871 (6th Cir. 71-1529, CCH EEOC Decisions (1973) 6231; Commission R's personnel take applicants to private rooms and independently administer and rate the tests. Then it was 5 feet, 6; since 1980, it has been 5 feet; who concocted those numbers, and on what criteria? However, there is limited population-specific research on age, gender and normative fitness values for law enforcement officers as opposed to those of the general population. 76-45, CCH Employment Practices (See 621.1(b)(2)(iv) for a more detailed female and Chinese applicants rejected because they were under the minimum height, filed a charge against R alleging sex and national origin discrimination. The resultant The policy is not applied to sales agents or pursers for first class passengers who are all male. The requirement therefore was found to be discriminatory on the basis of sex. Therefore, the BFOQ exception to the Act cannot be relied upon as the basis for automatically excluding all females where strength is 701 et seq. Physical strength requirements as discussed in this section are different from minimum weight lifting requirements which are discussed in 625, BFOQ. group or class and not against others. CP, an unsuccessful female job applicant weighing under 150 lbs., alleged, based on national statistics which showed that the minimum requirement would automatically exclude 87% of all women non-CDP; therefore, the Office of Legal Counsel, Guidance Division should be contacted.). exception. (1) Secure a detailed statement delineating exactly what kind of height and weight requirements are being used and how they are being used. basis, Commission decisions and court cases have determined what things do not constitute an adequate business necessity defense. (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. statutes. The Commission relied on national statistics which showed that 80% of adult females are less than 5'5" tall and that the average height of Hispanic males is 5'4 1/2", while the average height of Anglo males is 1976). with discrimination based on sex, national origin, and to a lesser extent, race. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS are not job related. This is because many court and administrative determinations have found that height and weight requirements This automatic exclusion from consideration adversely impacts upon those protected groups. R's police force was 98% White male, and 2% Black male. Failure to meet the pre-set weight limits results in an initial failure to hire, and once hired consistent failure to meet weight limits results consideration for employment. Since it is possible that relevant statistical data may be developed, and since the argument could be phrased in terms of a direct challenge to reliance upon national height/weight charts as in Example 4 in 621.5(a) above, the issue of 131 M Street, NE A lock ( In that case, a Black female was rejected because she exceeded the maximum allowable hip size with respect to her height and weight. weight requirement. Unlike minimum height requirements where setting different standards has been found to (2) Adverse Impact Analysis - This approach is applicable where on its face a minimum height or weight requirement constitutes a neutral employment policy or practice that may be applied equally to is a minimum height/weight requirement, are applicants actually being rejected on the basis of physical strength. manifest relationship to the employment in question. CPs, 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 In Commission Decision No. On a case-by-case (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 for women or Hispanics and a 5'8" requirement for other applicants. She alleged that the maximum weight requirement constituted discrimination against Blacks as a class since they weigh proportionately more Dillmann is 1.615 meters tall - 1.5 centimeters too short. as to preserve the charging parties' appeal rights, but without further investigation. City of East Cleveland, 363 F. Supp. The respondent can either establish a uniform height requirement that does not have an adverse impact based on race, sex, or However, such comparisons are simply unfounded. R alleges that its concern for the In Commission Decision No. the council's promulgation of standards recognizes the multiple responsibilities to be fair to prospective candidates, and to duly consider the safety and welfare of the general public. In lieu of proportional, minimum, height/weight standards or size as a basis for screening applicants, employers also may attempt to rely on various physical ability or agility tests. of right to sue issued to protect the charging party's appeal rights. concerned with public preference in such jobs, the males and females are similarly situated. proportional, minimum height/weight standards are considered a predictor or measure of physical strength, as opposed to the ability to lift a certain specific minimum weight. Example - R required that its employees weigh at least 140 lbs. These two approaches are illustrated in the examples which follow. According to CP, similarly situated White candidates for pilot trainee positions were accepted, even though they exceeded the maximum height. differences in the selection or disqualification rate if the differences meet the test of being statistically or practically significant. The employer, if it wants to retain the requirements, must show that they constitute a business proportion to height based on national height/weight charts. The example which follows illustrates discriminatory use of a minimum weight standard. standard, R replaced the height/weight requirement with a physical Example (1) - R had an announced policy of hiring only individuals 5'8" or over for its assembly line positions. Example (3) - Partial Processing Indicated - CPs, female restaurant employees, file a charge alleging that they are being discriminated against by R since it requires that all of its employees maintain the proper weight in suggested that, even if the quality was found to be job related, a validated test which directly measures strength could be devised and adopted. Minimum height requirements can also result in disparate treatment of protected group or class members if the minimum requirements are not uniformly applied, e.g., where the employer applies a minimum 5'8" height requirement strictly to Investigation revealed nonuniform application of the tests. 71-1418, CCH EEOC Decisions (1973) 6223. The Florida Highway Patrol requires all job applicants to be at least 5'81/2!mfe!x" tall and to weigh 160 pounds. rejection of Black applicants based on an alleged policy of refusal to hire overweight persons was discriminatory. other police departments have similar requirements. 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. 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 Supp. In Commission Decision No. The charge should, however, be accepted, assigned a charge number, and the file closed and a notice 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. Please type your question or comment here and then click Submit. origin traits they as a class weigh proportionally more than other groups or classes, when the weight of each of the group or class members is in proportion to their height, the charge should be accepted, and further investigation conducted to 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. impact, respecting actual representation of Black or Hispanic females in the employer's workforce. Also, there was no evidence of disparate treatment. CP, a Hispanic who failed the tests, alleges national origin discrimination in that Anglos are permitted to pass despite how they actually perform on the test. Even though national statistics are used, 4(D) of the UGESP recognizes that there can still be evidence of adverse impact, often with very large numbers since a national pool is used, based on smaller percentage It also believed that it was in the females' best interest that they not be so employed. Instead, charging parties can Maximum height requirements would, of course, License this article (See 625, BFOQ, for a detailed treatment of the BFOQ exception.). 1975). In many instances such as in Dothard v. Rawlinson, supra, minimum height/weight requirements are imposed because of their theoretical relationship to strength. man of medium stature would therefore be permitted to weigh proportionally more than a 5'7" woman of medium stature on the same height/weight chart. the ground that meeting the minimum height was a business necessity. (iii) Bottom Line - Under the bottom line concept which can be found in 4(C) of the UGESP, where height and weight requirements are a component of the selection procedure, even if considering all the components together there is no 3. The minimum height for a female (of general category) & ST (not of SC or OBC) according to the physical criteria for IPS should be 150 cm. Commission Decision No. 80-5 (unpublished), the Commission found that there was not enough statistical data available to conclude that Black females, in contrast to White females whose weight is distributed differently, are disproportionately subject to one's personal control. 76-132, CCH Employment Practices Guide 6694, the Commission found that a prima facie case of sex discrimination resulting from application of minimum height requirements was not rebutted by a state CPs argue that the standard charts fail for that reason to consider that Black females have a different body structure, physiology, and different proportional height/weight measurements than White females. This means that, except in rare instances, charging parties attempting to challenge height and weight requirements do not have to show an adverse impact on their protected group or class by use of actual applicant flow or selection data. 1976), "under no set of facts can plaintiff recover on the legal theory she urgesbecause weight is neither an immutable characteristic nor a of the employment policy or practice. even if all functions of a police officer did require such force, a physical aptitude test is a more appropriate means of assessing candidate suitability, rather than relying on height (or age); and; up to 2003, Greek law imposed different height requirements for men and women seeking entry to the Police. The respondent's contention that it could not otherwise readily transfer people to different positions unless the minimum height requirement was maintained, since some positions require employees of a certain Example (2) - R, a fire department, replaced its minimum height/weight standards with a physical ability/agility test. The Court the issue is non-CDP, and the Office of Legal Counsel, Guidance Division should be contacted.). Discriminatory use of a minimum weight standard 625, BFOQ determined what things do not constitute an adequate necessity... Use of a minimum weight lifting requirements height and weight requirements for female police officers are discussed in 625 BFOQ. Pursers for first class passengers who are all male, respecting actual representation of applicants!, race pursers for first class passengers who are all male of a minimum weight lifting which... Representation of Black applicants based on sex, national origin, and 2 % male... 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