Kalpana Kotagal
@kotagaleeoc.bsky.social
Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Views are my own and should not be attributed to the EEOC or any other Commissioner.
The tragic murders of Amber Czech & Outi Hicks remind us that we must do better to protect tradeswomen from violence. These women were just trying to do their jobs. Employers have a responsibility to prevent & address harassment before it escalates. 19thnews.org/2025/11/ambe...
Amber Czech was murdered at work. Tradeswomen say it could have happened to any of them.
The 20-year-old welder’s killing by her coworker has prompted women in trades across the country to speak out about the harassment they face and the protections they need.
19thnews.org
November 21, 2025 at 7:42 PM
The tragic murders of Amber Czech & Outi Hicks remind us that we must do better to protect tradeswomen from violence. These women were just trying to do their jobs. Employers have a responsibility to prevent & address harassment before it escalates. 19thnews.org/2025/11/ambe...
November is #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth. The rich history & invaluable contributions of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, & Indigenous communities continue to shape the fabric of this country. We must work together to ensure their heritage continues to thrive.
November 21, 2025 at 5:50 PM
November is #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth. The rich history & invaluable contributions of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, & Indigenous communities continue to shape the fabric of this country. We must work together to ensure their heritage continues to thrive.
Today is Native Women's Equal Pay Day. On average, Native American women earn only 53 cents for every dollar paid to White men - one of the largest wage gaps in the country. This economic inequality perpetuates the many other longstanding systemic barriers Native women face.
November 18, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Today is Native Women's Equal Pay Day. On average, Native American women earn only 53 cents for every dollar paid to White men - one of the largest wage gaps in the country. This economic inequality perpetuates the many other longstanding systemic barriers Native women face.
My summer was full of enriching conversations with groups across the country. As part of the U.S. EEOC's REACH Initiative, I visited Birmingham & Philly to hear from local advocates & workers about the unique barriers they face at work & how the EEOC can better meet their needs.
September 18, 2025 at 3:42 PM
My summer was full of enriching conversations with groups across the country. As part of the U.S. EEOC's REACH Initiative, I visited Birmingham & Philly to hear from local advocates & workers about the unique barriers they face at work & how the EEOC can better meet their needs.
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Hispanic workers across the country contribute so much to our nation's workplaces. The U.S. EEOC holds employers accountable for discrimination, including discrimination based on a worker's national origin. www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidanc...
Questions and Answers: Enforcement Guidance on National Origin Discrimination
On November 21, 2016, the EEOC issued its Enforcement Guidance on National Origin Discrimination, https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/national-origin-guidance.cfm, a sub-regulatory document that provid...
www.eeoc.gov
September 17, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Hispanic workers across the country contribute so much to our nation's workplaces. The U.S. EEOC holds employers accountable for discrimination, including discrimination based on a worker's national origin. www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidanc...
For the first time, the gender wage gap widened 2 yrs in a row according to Census data. In 2024, women working full-time year-round made 81 cents on the dollar, down from 83 cents in 2023 & 84 cents in 2022. The wage gap was even wider for women of color. www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
How big is the gender wage gap now? What new Census data shows.
The female-to-male earnings ratio fell in 2024 to 80.9% from 82.7% in 2023. In 2022, the ratio was 84%.
www.usatoday.com
September 10, 2025 at 6:54 PM
For the first time, the gender wage gap widened 2 yrs in a row according to Census data. In 2024, women working full-time year-round made 81 cents on the dollar, down from 83 cents in 2023 & 84 cents in 2022. The wage gap was even wider for women of color. www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
Looking forward to joining this important discussion tomorrow!
🏛️ Which policies can help make equal opportunity real? On Sept 4, join the @aspeninstitute.bsky.social Economic Opportunities Program and leading experts to explore strategies for equity and economic mobility.
🕒 2:00 – 3:15pm ET | 💻 Zoom
🔗 Register: as.pn/equalopportunity
#TalkOpportunity
🕒 2:00 – 3:15pm ET | 💻 Zoom
🔗 Register: as.pn/equalopportunity
#TalkOpportunity
September 3, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Looking forward to joining this important discussion tomorrow!
Yesterday was Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Women’s Equal Pay Day. As of 2023, NHPI women working full time, year-round earned 65 cents for every $1 paid to White, non-Hispanic men. This disparity is often hidden by aggregated pay data of AANHPI women generally.
August 29, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Yesterday was Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Women’s Equal Pay Day. As of 2023, NHPI women working full time, year-round earned 65 cents for every $1 paid to White, non-Hispanic men. This disparity is often hidden by aggregated pay data of AANHPI women generally.
Today is Black Women's Equal Pay Day. Black women working full-time earn only 64.4 cents for every dollar White men make. This gap persists even at the highest levels of education. DC has the largest pay gap in the country for Black women at $59,000.
July 10, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Today is Black Women's Equal Pay Day. Black women working full-time earn only 64.4 cents for every dollar White men make. This gap persists even at the highest levels of education. DC has the largest pay gap in the country for Black women at $59,000.
60 years ago today, the U.S. EEOC opened its doors. I am deeply honored to serve alongside incredibly talented and committed career staff to advance the mission of the EEOC. Check out my video for more on agency's 60 years of work and the work ahead: www.linkedin.com/posts/kalpan...
On July 2, 1965, 60 years ago today, the doors of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission opened to the public. | Kalpana Kotagal
On July 2, 1965, 60 years ago today, the doors of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission opened to the public. I am deeply honored to serve alongside incredibly talented and commit...
www.linkedin.com
July 2, 2025 at 6:36 PM
60 years ago today, the U.S. EEOC opened its doors. I am deeply honored to serve alongside incredibly talented and committed career staff to advance the mission of the EEOC. Check out my video for more on agency's 60 years of work and the work ahead: www.linkedin.com/posts/kalpan...
Tomorrow is Juneteenth - the 160th anniversary of the day enslaved African Americans in Texas finally got word that they were free. I honor the fortitude of Black Americans & their ancestors who have triumphed & thrived in the face of seemingly insurmountable systemic oppression.
June 18, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Tomorrow is Juneteenth - the 160th anniversary of the day enslaved African Americans in Texas finally got word that they were free. I honor the fortitude of Black Americans & their ancestors who have triumphed & thrived in the face of seemingly insurmountable systemic oppression.
Today is LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day. Studies show that LGBTQ+ workers are paid between 10% - 32% less than their straight and cisgender counterparts. Those wage gaps compound for trans women, non-binary individuals, and LGBTQ+ workers of color.
June 17, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Today is LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day. Studies show that LGBTQ+ workers are paid between 10% - 32% less than their straight and cisgender counterparts. Those wage gaps compound for trans women, non-binary individuals, and LGBTQ+ workers of color.
Yesterday was the 5-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Bostock. There, the Court held, "An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law." This was a crucial step forward for workplace protections for LGBTQ+ workers
June 16, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Yesterday was the 5-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Bostock. There, the Court held, "An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law." This was a crucial step forward for workplace protections for LGBTQ+ workers
Happy Pride Month! WorldPride's theme is "The Fabric of Freedom." There's much to be done to ensure a safer, more just society. It's "the fabric of our community — through our rich cultures, diverse identities, & backgrounds — that will guide us forward towards a better future."
June 12, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Happy Pride Month! WorldPride's theme is "The Fabric of Freedom." There's much to be done to ensure a safer, more just society. It's "the fabric of our community — through our rich cultures, diverse identities, & backgrounds — that will guide us forward towards a better future."
The federal government, including the EEOC, plays a pivotal role in advancing access to justice and protecting the most vulnerable. I penned an article for the University of Cincinatti Law Review on how government, at its best, can make people's lives better scholarship.law.uc.edu/uclr/vol93/i...
A View from Inside: The Federal Government's Pivotal Role in Securing and Advancing Access to Justice
By Kalpana Kotagal, Published on 05/14/25
scholarship.law.uc.edu
May 19, 2025 at 9:56 PM
The federal government, including the EEOC, plays a pivotal role in advancing access to justice and protecting the most vulnerable. I penned an article for the University of Cincinatti Law Review on how government, at its best, can make people's lives better scholarship.law.uc.edu/uclr/vol93/i...
Today is #MomsEqualPayDay. In 2023, mothers working full-time & year-round typically made only 74 cents for every dollar working fathers made - which is a loss of about $19k a year. The gap worsens for mothers of color and even persists at every education level.
May 6, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Today is #MomsEqualPayDay. In 2023, mothers working full-time & year-round typically made only 74 cents for every dollar working fathers made - which is a loss of about $19k a year. The gap worsens for mothers of color and even persists at every education level.
May is AANHPI Heritage Month. This year's theme is “A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience." As the first female U.S. EEOC Commissioner of Indian descent, I'm honored to serve workers nationwide & am privileged to witness the resilience of AANHPI workers in the workplace & beyond.
May 6, 2025 at 5:20 PM
May is AANHPI Heritage Month. This year's theme is “A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience." As the first female U.S. EEOC Commissioner of Indian descent, I'm honored to serve workers nationwide & am privileged to witness the resilience of AANHPI workers in the workplace & beyond.
This week is #BlackMaternalHealthWeek. Black mothers deserve equitable, culturally affirming care & community-driven solutions that drive lasting change. Employers play an essential role in pregnant workers' ability to work in a manner that doesn't jeopardize their health.
April 16, 2025 at 9:27 PM
This week is #BlackMaternalHealthWeek. Black mothers deserve equitable, culturally affirming care & community-driven solutions that drive lasting change. Employers play an essential role in pregnant workers' ability to work in a manner that doesn't jeopardize their health.
I'd like to close out Women's History Month by amplifying the stories of some of the brave women nationwide who have come forward to report discrimination in the workplace. While women's history is made daily, there's still progress to be made for their equal treatment at work.
March 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM
I'd like to close out Women's History Month by amplifying the stories of some of the brave women nationwide who have come forward to report discrimination in the workplace. While women's history is made daily, there's still progress to be made for their equal treatment at work.
Today is #EqualPayDay - a yearly reminder that the fight for wage justice persists. Typically, women make 75¢ for every dollar men make. In 2023, the gender wage gap widened for the first time in 20 years. The gap is even worse for women of color.
March 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Today is #EqualPayDay - a yearly reminder that the fight for wage justice persists. Typically, women make 75¢ for every dollar men make. In 2023, the gender wage gap widened for the first time in 20 years. The gap is even worse for women of color.
For Women's History Month, I'd like to celebrate how the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) made history by expanding access to reasonable accommodations so that pregnant and postpartum workers don’t have to choose between their health and a paycheck.
March 19, 2025 at 4:57 PM
For Women's History Month, I'd like to celebrate how the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) made history by expanding access to reasonable accommodations so that pregnant and postpartum workers don’t have to choose between their health and a paycheck.
As a former litigator, I’ve seen how harassment can impact people’s careers, their wellbeing & their families. Often workers feel they have no choice but to quit their jobs & take on lesser paying roles. Everyone deserves a harassment-free workplace. The EEOC aims to ensure that.
March 12, 2025 at 3:09 PM
As a former litigator, I’ve seen how harassment can impact people’s careers, their wellbeing & their families. Often workers feel they have no choice but to quit their jobs & take on lesser paying roles. Everyone deserves a harassment-free workplace. The EEOC aims to ensure that.
As March is also Women's History Month, I'd like to highlight feminist civil rights lawyer, Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. While Murray’s contributions are often overlooked, their impact on our thinking of sex-based and intersectional discrimination under Title VII can't be overstated.
March 9, 2025 at 12:04 AM
As March is also Women's History Month, I'd like to highlight feminist civil rights lawyer, Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. While Murray’s contributions are often overlooked, their impact on our thinking of sex-based and intersectional discrimination under Title VII can't be overstated.
Happy International Women's Day! Proud to celebrate the strength, resilience, & progress women have achieved globally. The U.S. EEOC works to protect all women from various forms of workplace discrimination like harassment, pay inequity, pregnancy discrimination, & more.
March 8, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Happy International Women's Day! Proud to celebrate the strength, resilience, & progress women have achieved globally. The U.S. EEOC works to protect all women from various forms of workplace discrimination like harassment, pay inequity, pregnancy discrimination, & more.
I'm grateful for the necessary work of EEOC employees. Every day they work to prevent and remedy discrimination in the workplace. Our staff are essential to our ability to carry out the agency's mission to advance equal employment opportunity for all.
February 27, 2025 at 9:30 PM
I'm grateful for the necessary work of EEOC employees. Every day they work to prevent and remedy discrimination in the workplace. Our staff are essential to our ability to carry out the agency's mission to advance equal employment opportunity for all.