Job-seekers in states without laws prohibiting employment discrimination are questioned about their religion sir times as frequently as persons seeking employment in states which have adopted anti-discrimination legislation, it was reported today by the Jewish Occupational Council.
On the basis of a five-month study covering almost 4,300 persons in 15 large cities in the U.S. and Canada, the Council report concluded that “state legislation has been effective in reducing, although it has not completely eliminated, employment discrimination.”
In 12 cities without a state ban against discrimination, almost 27 percent of the persons covered by the survey were questioned on religion. The cities are Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Louisville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Montreal, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Toronto. Responses from three cities located in states which legally bar discrimination–Boston, Newark, and New York–revealed that only four percent of the applicants were questioned about their religion.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
