Final answer:
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the office responsible for ensuring the enforcement of equal opportunity policies, as established by the 1964 Civil Rights Act. They enforce anti-discrimination measures and facilitate affirmative action to ensure equal employment opportunities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The office responsible for ensuring that equal opportunity policies are enforced is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Mandated by the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the EEOC investigates employment discrimination and safeguards the rights of workers who lodge complaints against employers.
Notably, figures such as economist Phyllis Ann Wallace, who served as the commission's chief of technical studies, and attorney Eleanor Holmes Norton, who led the EEOC, contributed significantly to the commission's efforts.
Norton's tenure was marked by decisive actions to eliminate discrimination against women and minorities, including the establishment of timetables for violators to demonstrate corrective measures, enforcement of employment quotas, and the clarification of sexual harassment as a discrimination and civil rights violation.
Moreover, affirmative action policies, which have their origin in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Executive Order 11246, aim to ensure equal access to opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups and continue to be a pivotal aspect of the EEOC's mission.