EEOC CHAIR CARI DOMINGUEZ TO LEAD INTERNATIONAL PANEL ON WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE

WASHINGTON - Cari M. Dominguez, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will provide  "A Current Look at Women Workers" during the first-ever colloquium on "Creating a Level Playing Field for Women: Maximizing Human Capital in the Global Marketplace" tomorrow, May 29, 9:15 to 10:15 a.m., at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C.

Chair Dominguez will review the progress of and discuss ongoing challenges affecting women in the workplace and how the nations of the world can approach solutions as a shared responsibility.  She will profile typical charges filed with EEOC by women and offer recommendations for positive change.

This one-day event will showcase best practices for promoting access and inclusion at all levels and in all areas of employment.  Chair Dominguez' presentation will be followed by remarks from international counterparts Anna Wu, Chair of the Equal Opportunity Commission in Hong Kong, and Diane Sisely, Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunity Commission in Victoria, Australia.  Presenters also include representatives of other foreign governments and a variety of top American and global companies.  Information learned at the forum will be shared at the 2002 Global Summit of Women to be held in Barcelona, Spain, from July 11 through 13.

Chair Dominguez was sworn in on August 6, 2001, for a five-year term expiring on July 1, 2006.  She was nominated by President George W. Bush on May 10 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 19, 2001.  She serves as the chief executive officer of the five-member Commission.  Under her leadership, EEOC has launched a national "Freedom to Compete" initiative to promote fair and open competition in the workplace.

The EEOC enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion or national origin; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the Equal Pay Act; Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employment discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector and state and local governments; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973's prohibitions against disability discrimination in the federal government; and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.  Further information about the Commission is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.