Final answer:
Employment criteria justified by the capacity to perform a job are called bona fide occupational qualifications (BFOQs). These are essential qualifications for specific jobs and do not include discriminatory factors such as race. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ensures compliance with laws protecting against discrimination.
Step-by-step explanation:
Employment criteria justified by capacity to perform a job are referred to as bona fide occupational qualifications (BFOQs). BFOQs are employment qualifications that employers are allowed to consider while making decisions about hiring and retaining employees. Such qualifications are considered essential to the operation of a particular business or enterprise. For example, a mandatory retirement age for airline pilots is justified by safety concerns, thus age can be a BFOQ in this profession. Moreover, hiring a guard of a specific sex for a male or female prison can be a BFOQ due to privacy and safety reasons. However, these justifications cannot be used for characteristics such as race, as there is no BFOQ exception that allows for race discrimination.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces federal anti-discrimination laws, ensuring that hiring practices comply with regulations that protect job applicants from discrimination. Employers are not supposed to inquire about personal aspects like age, marital status, citizenship, disabilities, race, or religion, which have no bearing on an individual's capacity to perform the duties of a job. Understanding your rights can protect you from unlawful discrimination during the hiring process.