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The McDonnell Douglas test is a way to figure out if someone was discriminated against at work. First, the person who thinks they were discriminated against has to show some evidence that they belong to a group that is protected from discrimination and that something bad happened to them at work. Then, the employer has to explain why they did what they did, and it can't be because of discrimination. If the employer gives a good reason, the person who thinks they were discriminated against has to prove that the employer is lying and that discrimination really was the reason for what happened. This test comes from a court case called McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green.
The McDonnell Douglas test is a principle used in employment law to determine if discrimination has occurred in the workplace. It requires the plaintiff to provide evidence of discrimination, and the defendant to provide evidence that the employment action was taken for non-discriminatory reasons.
Here's how the McDonnell Douglas test works:
For example, let's say a woman believes she was not hired for a job because of her gender. She would need to provide evidence that she is a woman and that she was not hired for the job. If she can do this, the employer would need to provide a legitimate reason for not hiring her, such as not having the necessary qualifications. If the employer can provide a legitimate reason, the woman would need to prove that the reason given was just an excuse for discrimination.