The PPT states how discrimination is done in jobs between men and women and deals with various other matters that an individual may deal with during their career and also actions that firms can take to avoid such problems
2. 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.
E.g. – employment discrimination in US-
religious groups – Jews & Catholics
ethnic groups – Italians, Poles & Irish
racial groups – Blacks & Asians
3. Forms of discrimination
Isolated behavior (intentional)- male interviewer
preferring women candidates
Routine behavior
Isolated behavior (unintentional)- individual unthinkingly
adopts traditional practices & stereotypes
Systematic routine of org to discriminate against women
or minorities
4. Extent of Discrimination
Average Income Comparison
Lowest Income Group Comparison
Desirable Occupation Comparisons
5. Discrimination in US –
(i) The income gap b/w Whites & minorities has not
decreased
(ii) Large inequalities based on sex exist
(iii) Black unemployment is more than twice as high as Whites
(iv) Minority poverty rate is 2-3 times of Whites
(v) Poverty rate of families headed by women is 3 times that of
male headed ones
(vi) Most higher-paying jobs go to white males
6. Glass ceiling – an invisible, but impenetrable barrier to
further promotion sometimes encountered by women
or minorities
Increasing problems for women & minorities –
(i) Women & minorities make up most new workers
(ii) Women are steered into low-paying jobs & face a glass
ceiling & sexual harassment
7. Utilitarian arguments which claims that discrimination
leads to an inefficient use of human resources
Rights arguments violates basic human rights
Justice arguments which claims that discrimination results
in an unjust distribution of society’s benefits & burdens
8. Utility
Discriminating job applicants on the basis of race, sex, or
other characteristics unrelated to job performance is
necessarily inefficient & contrary to utilitarian principles
Objections encountered:
(i) The jobs shud be assigned on the basis of job related
qualifications only so long as such assignments will advance
the public welfare
(ii) Society as a whole may benefit from some forms of sexual
discrimination
9. Rights
Discriminatory practices violate the principle in two
ways :
(i) Racial & sexual discrimination is based on stereotypes
that see minorities as “lazy” or “shiftless” & women as
“emotional” & “weak”.
(ii) Placing members at lower positions, lower salaries &
lower job opportunities
10. Justice
Principle of equal opportunity – social & economic
inequalities are to be arranged so that they are attached
to offices & positions open to all under conditions of fair
equality of opportunity
11. Discriminating practices
Recruitment practices – word of mouth referrals, only White
males, for MEN only
Screening practices – disqualifying minority class who are
unfamiliar with the language, concepts & social situations in
the aptitude & intelligence tests
Promotion practices
Conditions of employment – less wages & salaries to women
& minorities, providing secretarial or clerical positions only,
less benefits
14. Perspectives of Affirmative Actions
Affirmative Action as Compensation :
Based on concept of compensatory justice
Criticism – compensation should come from specific
individuals who intentionally inflicted a wrong, and it
requires them to compensate only those specific
individuals whom they have wronged
15. Affirmative Action as an Instrument for Achieving Social
Goals :
Morally legitimate instruments to meet morally legitimate ends
Promotion of public welfare
Criticisms –
Whether the social costs of affirmative action programs outweigh
their obvious benefits
Identification of the needy
16. The basic end of affirmative programs is to seek
a more just society in which individuals are not
limited by his/her race or sex
18. Comparable pay for jobs of
Comparable Worth
Measuring the value of each job in an organization and
ensuring that jobs of equal value are paid same salary
Each job is assigned a certain number of points for
difficulty, skill requirements, working conditions and any
other factors worthy of compensation