Hamby - Philosophy chapter 11

Legal context against discrimination

Laws guaranteeing equality of opportunity are one response to the problem of discrimination. another, more controversial response is affirmative action

Evidence of discrimination - attitudinal

Stats by themselves don't just prove discrimination -> there are also widespread attitudes and institutional practices Women and minorities often find themselves measured by a white male value system 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

Evidence of discrimination - statistical

Studies reveal the persistence of discrimination in American life, and statistical evidence shows wide disparities between whites and racial minorities. It also shows significant occupational and income differences between white males, on the one hand, and women and minorities, on the other. Few women and minorities can be found at the very top of the business worls

Job Discrimination

Different forms: 1. when an employment decision in some way harms or disadvantages an employee or a job applicant 2. the decision is based on the person's membership in a certain group rather than on individual merit 3. the 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 Discrimination can be individual or institutional, intentional or unintentional

Pink-collar occupations

Poor paying jobs -> occupations such as librarians, nurses, elementary school teachers, salesclerks, secretaries, bank tellers, and waitresses - jobs that generally pay less than traditionally male occupations

Moral arguments against job discrimination

Utilitarians reject it because of its ill effect on total human welfare -> job discrimination involves false assumptions about the inferiority of a certain group and harms individual members of that group Kantians reject it as a failing to respect people as ends in themselves Universalizing the maxim underlying discriminatory practices is possibly impossible No people who now discriminate would be willing to accept such treatment themselves Discrimination on grounds of sex or race also violates people's basic moral rights and mocks the ideal of human moral equality Discrimination is unjust Rawl's theory -> parties in the original position would clearly choose for themselves the principle of equal oppertunity