Under EEO laws, what does "discrimination" refer to?

Discrimination under EEO laws specifically refers to unfair treatment of individuals based on their protected characteristics, such as age, race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, and other attributes that are safeguarded by law. This definition emphasizes that discrimination occurs when a person's rights are violated due to these protected statuses, impacting their opportunities or treatment in the workplace. The focus is on ensuring equal opportunity and preventing biases that can lead to a hostile or unequal environment.

In contrast, the other choices pertain to different workplace scenarios that do not align with the legal definition of discrimination. Workplace disagreements, for example, may arise from personality clashes or differing opinions, but they do not stem from prejudiced treatment based on protected characteristics. Similarly, prioritizing candidates based on higher skills is not discriminatory if those skills are relevant to the job requirements and do not disadvantage any particular group. Lastly, negative feedback in performance reviews is a standard part of workplace evaluations but becomes problematic only if it is based on discriminatory motives, rather than legitimate job performance factors. Hence, the essence of discrimination in the context of EEO laws is about unfair treatment linked directly to protected characteristics.