Chpt 11: Job Discrimination

unintentional discrimination

results from policies that have unanticipated consequences favoring one group over another can be a result of past policies

disparate treatement

results when employees from protected groups (such as disabled individuals) are intentionally treated differently

sexual favoritisim

some lower courts include this in sexual harassment women being discriminated against because they boss was sleeping not with one of them but with one or more other employees

arguments against job discrimination

utilitarians: ill effects on total human welfare kantians: failing to resect people as ends in themselves violates basic moral rights and mocks the ideal of human moral equality unjust no respectable arguments in favor

attitudinal evidence of discrimination

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

intentional discrimination

Treatment of others that is unfair (on the basis of prejudice or stereotype) and on purpose

hostile work environment harassment

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

Sexual harrassment cases legal perspective

courts look at what a reasonable person would find offensive but what matters morally is to respect each person's choices and wishes

Individual discrimination

discrimination carried out by one person against another

how to deal with sexual harassment

employees encountering sexually harassing behavior from coworkers should make it clear that the behavior is unwanted if it persists, harassed employees should document the behavior and report it to the appropriate person or office in the organization in the case of sexual threats or offers form supervisors, they should do this immediately. if internal channels are ineffective, employees should seek legal advice

sexual harassment

a form of discrimination may not be the worst aspect of it, morally speaking

Arguments against affirmative action

1.) affirmative action injures white men and infringes on their rights 2.) affirmative action itself violates the principle of equality 3.) nondiscrimination legislation will achieve our social goals, stronger affirmative action is unnecessary

Arguments for affirmative action

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

affirmative action

A policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities Brown V Board of Education the civil rights act of 1964 forbids discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color sex, religion or national origin employment practices that involve disparate treatment or disparate impact can violate the law subsequent legislation also forbids discrimination based on age or disability

quid pro quo harassment

Type of sexual harassment that occurs when an employee is forced to choose between giving in to a superior's sexual demands and forfeiting an economic benefit such as a pay increase, a promotion, or continued employment. occurs when a supervisor makes an employee's employment opportunities conditional and the employee's entering into a sexual relationship with, or granting sexual favors to, the supervisor

disparate impact

a condition in which employment practices are seemingly neutral yet disproportionately exclude a protected group from employment opportunities

Supreme Court on Affirmative Action

in a series of complex ruling s over the years a majority of the Court has upheld the general principle of affirmative action, as long as such programs are moderate and flexible race can legitimately be taken into account in employment-related decisions, but only as one among several factors affirmative action programs that rely on rigid and unreasonable quotas or that impose excessive hardship on present employees are illegal

Case Study: Notre Dame Coaches

larger percentage of whites in administrative positions

Responses to discrimination

laws guaranteeing equality of opportunity affirmative action

affirmative action programs

most large corporations find that diversity helps their bottom line aim to correct racial imbalances existing as a result of past discrimination today, many companies believe that they benefit from affirmative action by becoming more diverse critics charge that in practice affirmative action has often meant preferential treatment of women and minorities and even reverse discrimination against white men

job discrimination

occurs when: 1.) an employment decisions in some way harms or disadvantages an employee or a job applicant; 2.) the decision is based on the person's membership to a certain group rather than on individual merit; and 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

pink collar occupations

relatively low-paying, non manual, semiskilled positions primarily held by women librarians, secretaries

discrimination statistics

studies reveal the persistence of discrimination in the US and statistical evidence shows wide economic 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

institutional discrimination

the denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals and groups that results from the normal operations of a society

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 of comparable worth say that women have been shunted into low-paying jobs, that they suffer from a discriminatory labor market, and that justice requires that hey receive equal pay for doing jobs of equal worth opponents insist women have freely chosen lower paying jobs