Executive Order 11246 facts for kids
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President Johnson in Oval Office
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| Type | Executive order |
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| Executive Order number | {{#property:P1555}} |
| Signed by | [[{{#property:P50}}]] on September 24, 1965 |
| Federal Register details | |
| Publication date | {{#property:P577}} |
| Document citation | {{#property:P1031}} |
| Summary | |
| Established requirements for non-discriminatory practices in hiring and employment on the part of U.S. government contractors | |
Executive Order 11246 was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 24, 1965. This important rule made sure that companies working for the U.S. government treated everyone fairly. It stopped them from treating people differently when hiring or employing them. This means no one should be judged because of their race, color, religion, sex, or where they come from.
The order also said these companies must take affirmative action. This means they need to actively work to make sure all people get a fair chance. They must ensure that job applicants are hired and employees are treated equally. This idea of "affirmative action" was also mentioned in an earlier rule from 1961.
What Is Fair Employment?
This executive order was a big step for fairness in jobs. It built on earlier rules from other presidents. For example, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an order in 1953. Before that, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a similar order in 1941. These rules all aimed to stop unfair treatment in jobs.
Executive Order 11246 was different from the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act mainly asked companies to show their practices if there was a problem. But this executive order made companies keep records of their hiring all the time. They had to show these records if asked. This helped make sure they were always being fair.
How Companies Follow the Order
Companies with 51 or more employees and large government contracts had to create special plans. These plans, called affirmative action plans, helped increase the number of minorities and women in their workplaces. This was important if these groups were not well-represented.
These plans needed to include several things:
- A clear statement about treating everyone equally.
- A look at their current workers to see who was employed.
- Finding areas where minorities and women were under-represented.
- Setting goals and timelines to hire more diverse people.
- Specific actions to fix problems.
- Support for community programs that help people find jobs.
- A system to check their progress and report on it.
The U.S. Department of Labor was put in charge of making sure companies followed these rules. Detailed instructions for following the order came out in 1969. This was when the Nixon administration made affirmative action a key part of its civil rights efforts.
Changes to the Order
On October 13, 1967, another rule, Executive Order 11375, changed Executive Order 11246. This new rule added "sex" to the list of things companies could not discriminate against. This meant that women also had to be treated fairly in hiring and employment.
