BUSN 435: Ch11

arguments for affirmative action

1) compensatory justice demands it 2) it is necessary to permit fairer competition 3) necessary to break the cycle that keeps minorities and women locked into low-paying, low-prestige jobs

arguments against affirmative action

1) injures white men and infringes their rights 2) Violates the principle of equality 3) Nondiscrimination will achieve our social goals without it

disparate treatment

treating an individual differently based on sex, race, religion, color, or national origin

sexual harassment

unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature

disparate impact

a rule or practice that, although not discriminatory on its face, excludes or adversely affects too many people of a particular sex, race, or other protected category

affirmative action programs

designed to correct imbalances in employment that exist directly as a result of past discrimination. reflected the courts' recognition that job discrimination can exist even in the absence of conscious intent to discriminate

attitudinal evidence of discrimination

evidence of biased attitudes and sexist or racist assumptions also points to significant job discrimination in the workplace. As they try to fit into a work world dominated by white men, women and minorities can be disadvantaged by stereotypes, false preconceptions, and prejudiced attitudes

types of sexual harassment

1) quid-pro-quo - supervisor (or person with power) makes an employee's employment opportunities conditional on the employee entering into a sexual relationship with, or granting sexual favors to, the supervisor. 2) hostile-work-environment - behavior of a sexual nature that is distressing to women and interferes with their ability to perform on the job, even when the behavior is not an attempt to pressure the woman for sexual favors (sexual innuendos, sexually explicit emails, leering, sexist remarks, etc.)

EEOC

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - Protects against civil rights violations, age discrimination, or violations of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)

different forms of job discrimination

individual or institutional intentional or unwitting

job discrimination

occurs when 1) an employment decision harms or disadvantages an employee or applicant 2) the decision is based on the person's membership in a certain group rather than on merit and 3) decision rests on prejudice, false stereotypes, or the assumption that the group in question is in some way inferior and thus does not deserve equal treatment.

statistical evidence of discrimination

studies reveal the persistence of discrimination in American life, and statistical evidence shows wide economic disparities between whites and racial minorities. Also shows significant occupational and income differences between white males, on one hand, and women and minorities, on the other.

comparable worth

the idea that women and men should be paid on the same scale for doing different jobs if they involve equivalent skill, effort, and responsibility. Advocates say that women have been shunted into low-paying jobs, that they suffer from a discriminatory labor market, and that justice requires that they receive equal pay for doing jobs of equal worth