Final answer:
Disparate treatment discrimination refers to employment decisions that are based on personal characteristics rather than job performance or qualifications.
Step-by-step explanation:
Employment decisions/actions that are not job-related, objective or merit-based are considered to be disparate treatment discrimination. Disparate treatment refers to instances where individuals are treated differently in employment situations based on personal characteristics, such as race, gender, or religion, rather than on job performance or qualifications. This contrasts with disparate impact discrimination, which occurs when policies or practices that appear neutral in theory have a discriminatory effect on a protected group in practice. Both forms of discrimination are addressed under U.S. federal anti-discrimination laws, which are administered by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).