Final answer:
The EEOC was empowered by the Civil Rights Act to investigate employment discrimination, enforce anti-discrimination laws, and pursue legal action against violators. Over time, its role expanded to include enforcement against discrimination based on sex and other characteristics, as well as defining and addressing sexual harassment in the workplace.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was given the power to investigate employment discrimination and take action against employers who violate the anti-discrimination provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Initially, the EEOC's primary focus was on racial discrimination, but over time it expanded to vigorously enforce laws against discrimination based on sex, color, religion, and national origin. Notably, individuals like Eleanor Holmes Norton played a significant role in ensuring that the EEOC effectively pursued cases of discrimination against women and minorities, including defining sexual harassment as a form of discrimination and a civil rights violation.
Under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the EEOC investigates charges of discrimination by employers and labor unions, and it also has the ability to file lawsuits in federal court for serious or systemic violations. Furthermore, the EEOC has established guidelines related to affirmative action and has also ruled in landmark cases such as Macy v. Holder, which extended protections to transgender employees under Title VII, subject to changes in interpretation by different administrations.