Unit 7- Discrimination and Affirmative Action Flashcards
What is Discrimination?
The wrongful act of distinguishing illicitly among people not on the basis of individual merit, but on the basis of prejudice or some other invidious or morally reprehensible attitude.
What are characteristics used to identify discrimination in employment?
- It must be a decision not based on individual merit.
- The decision must derive from racial/sexual prejudice, false stereotypes, etc.
- The decision must have a harmful impact on the interest of employees
What are the types of discrimination?
- Intentional discrimination
- Unintentional discrimination
- Individual discrimination- person does it on their own
- Institutional Discrimination- in the system, processes in our organizations
What are 3 Indicators of Discrimination?
- Average Income Comparisons - comparisons of average benefits given to minorities and women, compared to other groups,
- Lowest Income Comparisons - comparisons of the proportion of a minorities and women found in the lowest levels of the institution compared to the proportions of other groups found at those levels,
- Desirable Occupation Comparisons - comparisons of the proportion of a minorities and women found in the most advantageous positions in the institution as compared to the proportions of other groups in those positions.
What are 3 major difficulties in the job market for women?
- Cultural stenotype, prejudice and conscious and unconscious biases steer a sizable proportion of women into traditionally “women” jobs that pay less than traditionally “male jobs.”
- When women advance in their careers, they encounter barriers like the glass ceiling.
- Married women who want children, unlike married men who want children, currently encounter major difficulties in their career advancement.
What are the 5 widely recognized categories of discriminatory practices?
- Recruitment practices that rely on the word-of-mouth referrals of present employees will tend to recruit only from the groups already represented. Tend to refer and recruit your own kind naturally.
- Screening practices that include qualifications not relevant to a job (such as requiring a certain level of education for very low-level jobs).
- Promotion practices that place groups on separate tracks or that rely solely on seniority when past discrimination has kept women or minorities out of senior positions.
- Conditions of employment that do not award equal wages and salaries to people doing essentially the same work.
- Discharging an employee based on race or gender, or layoff policies that rely solely on seniority (getting rid of old people).
Who are included in the protected classes?
Women, Other races, Other religions, Colour, national origins
Differentiate between Disparate Treatment and Disparate Impact
Disparate treatment is discrimination with intent, and Disparate impact is discrimination without intent, but with the same consequences as if it was with intent.
Eg. recommending your qualified friend who is black in a mainly black business, unintentionally keeping out other candidates who may be from other ethnic groups..
Forms of Discrimination
- Sex
- Age
- Sexual Orientation
- Disabilities
- Obesity
What is sex discrimination?
Sex discrimination is discrimination based on the fact that a person is male or female and not on sex-related matters, such as sexual orientation or marital status.
What is age discrimination?
Age discrimination results largely from the benefits that employers perceive in shunting older employees aside to make room for younger employees whom they believe have more up-to-date skills and innovative ideas
Covered by Age Act
What are the 3 arguments against discrimination?
Utilitarian
Kantian
Justice Based (Based on Aristotle Distribution of Justice)
Explain the Utilitarian Argument against Discrimination
Discrimination leads to inefficient use of human resources.
-Refusing to choose qualified workers regardless of difference reduces
productivity
Explain the Kantian Ethics argument against Discrimination
- Discrimination violates basic human rights by holding minorities and women as “inferior.”
- Discrimination cannot be universalized.
Explain the Principles of Justice Argument against Discrimination
- Discrimination results in unjust distributions of benefits and burdens.
- Discrimination violates the formal principle of equality by differentiating between people on the basis of characteristics that are not relevant to job performance. (Aristotle Distribution of Justice)
