Does Title VII cover only intentional discrimination, only unintentional discrimination, or both?

• A. Only intentional
• B. Only unintentional
• C. Both intentional and unintentional
• D. Neither

Answer: (C)

Title VII protects people from employment discrimination based on protected characteristics, and it covers both how discrimination happens and its effects. It not only guards against intentional acts—disparate treatment, where an employer purposefully treats someone less favorably because of race, sex, religion, color, or national origin—but it also guards against unintentional outcomes. That’s the idea behind disparate impact: a neutral policy or practice that seems harmless but ends up producing a substantially discriminatory effect on a protected group. Even without proof of intent, if the policy isn’t job-related or necessary and there are less discriminatory alternatives, it can violate Title VII.

So the best answer is that Title VII covers both intentional and unintentional discrimination. Understanding this helps you recognize cases where a seemingly neutral hiring test or qualification disproportionately excludes a protected class, as well as cases where someone is directly treated unfairly because of a protected characteristic.