The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said 93,277 workplace discrimination charges were filed with the agency in 2009 -- the second-highest level ever. It also announced that it obtained more than $376 million in monetary relief for those who suffered from discrimination.

The high level of filing may be due to multiple factors, according to the EEOC. These include greater accessibility of the EEOC to the public, economic conditions, increased diversity and demographic shifts in the labor force, employees' greater awareness of their rights, and changes to the agency's intake practices that cut down on the steps needed for an individual to file a charge.