Nature of Job discrimination

First of all lets understand the meaning of these words:

Racism:

The prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races or,Discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of another race.

Discrimination:

The root meaning of the term “discriminate”is “to distinguish one object from another,”

However, in modern usage the term is not morally neutral. It is usually intended to refer to the wrongful act of distinguishing illicitly among people not on the basis of individual merit but on the basis of prejudice or some other impossible or morally reprehensible attitude.

Discrimination in employment thus, must involve three basic elements:

1. First, it is a decision against one or more employees (or prospective employees) that is not based on individual merit such as:

The ability to perform a given job Seniority Other morally legitimate qualifications.

2. Second, the decision derives solely or in part from:

Racial or sexual prejudice From false stereotypes From some other kind of morally unjustified attitude against members of the class to which the employee belongs.

3. Third, the decision (or set of decisions) has a harmful or negative impact on the interests of the employees, perhaps costing them jobs, promotions, or better pay.

DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT

• Any person willing to find work and unable to find work is considered to be unemployed.

• If a person works at a level below what he/she is capable of working at and (perhaps) consequently earns less wages is called under-employed.

• If a person works at a level above what he/she is capable of working at and (perhaps) consequently earns higher wages is called over employed.

• Racism

• On the basis of Gender

• On the basis of Age

• On the basis of Religion

• On the basis of disability

• On the basis of National origin

Types of discrimination

Why This Discrimination?• This discrimination basically arises because those who

have the power to enforce decisions are unaccountable for their prejudices.

• There is no countervailing power to prevent this abuse of power.

• The larger civil society remains a mute spectator to this malaise.

Cases of General Discrimination

• When certain races or castes are given a privilege just because of their birth.

• When certain jobs are assigned to persons simply based on their gender and this assignment is irrespective of skill.

• When where you studied or who you know determines what job you get irrespective of your abilities.

Glass Ceiling

The term glass ceiling refers to:

Situations where the advancement of a qualified person within the hierarchy of an organization is stopped at a lower level because of some form of discrimination, most commonly sexism or racism.

Present Scenario of Job Discrimination

Although many more women and minorities are entering formerly male dominated jobs, they still face problems that they would characterize as form of discrimination.

In 1993, forexample, ABC sent a male and female, Avnish and Neelam, on an “experiment” to apply in person for jobs several companies were advertising.

Avnish and Neelam were both trim, neatlydressed college graduates in their 20s, with identical resumes indicating management experience.

Unknown to the companies, however, both were secretly wired for sound and had hidden cameras.

One company indicated in its help-wanted ad that: It had several open positions.

But when the company recruiter spoke with Neelam, the only job he brought up was a job answering phones.

A few minutes later, the same recruiter spoke with Avnish. He was offered a management job.

When interviewed afterwards by ABC, the company recruiter indicated that he would never want a man answering his phone.

Another company had advertised positions as territory managers for lawn-care services. The owner of that company gave Neelam a typing test, discussed her fiance’s business with her, and then offered her a job as a receptionist at $6 an hour.

When the owner interviewed Avnish, however, he gave him an aptitude test, chatted with him about how he kept fit, and offered him a job as territory manager paying $300 to $500 a week.

When the owner was later interviewed by ABC he comments that women “do not do well as territory managers, which involves some physical labor.”

According to the owner he had also hired one other woman as a receptionist and had hired several other males as territory managers.

The experience of young Avnish and Neelam suggest that sexual discrimination is alive and well.

Forms of Discrimination

1. Isolated and Intentional Discrimination

A discriminatory act may be part of the isolated (noninstitutionalized) behavior of a single individual whointentionally and knowingly discriminates out of personal

prejudice. In the ABC “experiment” described, for example, the attitudes that the male interviewer is de-scribed as having may not be characteristic of other company interviewers: His behavior toward female job seekers may be an intentional but isolated instance of sexism in hiring.

2. Institutionalized and Intentional Discrimination

Second, a discriminatory act may be part of the routine behavior of an institutionalized group, which intentionally and knowingly discriminates out of the personal prejudices of its members.

In India, for example, The Muthut Finance group prefers Keralites for any post in their company.

3. Isolated and Unintentional Discrimination

Third, an act of discrimination may be part of the isolated (non institutionalized) behavior of a single individual who unintentionally and unknowingly discriminates against someone because he or she unthinkingly adopts the traditional practices and stereotypes of his or her society.

If the interviewer quoted in the ABC experiment described, for example, acted unintentionally, then he would fall into this third category.

4. Institutionalized and Unintentional discrimination

Fourth, a discriminatory act may be part of the systematic routine of a corporate organization or group that unintentionally incorporates into its formal institutionalized procedures practices that discriminate against women or minorities.

An unlawful employment practice for an employer

1. To fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual,

Or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin

2. To limit, segregate, or classify his employees or applicants for employment in any way that would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee because of such individual’s race, color, sex, or national origin

How do we estimate whether an institution or a set of institutions is practicing discrimination against a certain group?

A prima facie indication of discrimination exists:

When a disproportionate number of the members of a certain group hold the less desirable positions within the institutions in spite of their preferences and abilities.

Three kinds of comparisons can provide evidence for such a

distribution:

1.Comparisons of the average benefits the institutions bestow

on the discriminated group with the average benefits theinstitutions bestow on other groups;

2.Comparisons of the proportion of the discriminated group

found in the lowest levels of the institutions with theproportions of other groups found at those levels;

3.Comparisons of the proportions of that group that holdthe more advantageous positions with the proportions of

other groups that hold those same positions.

Average Income Comparisons

Income comparisons provide the most suggestive indicators of discrimination. If we compare the average incomes of nonwhite American families, for example, with the average incomes of white American families, we see that white family incomes are substantially above those of nonwhites.

In 1970 the average income for a black family was 65 percent of a white family’s average income; in 1994 the black family’s income was 63 percent of the white family’s income.

Distribution of Income Among Working Men and Women, 1994

Income ($) Percent of men Percent of women with that income with that income

1 to 2,499 7 142,500 to 4,999 4 105,000 to 9,999 12 2110,000 to 14,999 13 1515,000 to 24,999 20 1925,000 to 49,999 29 1750,000 to 74,999 10 375,000 and over 6 1

As the figures suggests, larger percentages of white males move into the higher paying occupations, while

minorities and women end up in those that are less desirable.

Consequently, although many white women have moved into middle-management positions in recent years, neither they nor minorities have yet been allowed into the top-paying senior management and top

executive positions.

Just as the most desirable occupations are held by whites, while the less desirable are held by blacks, so also the most well paying occupations tend to be

reserved for men, and the remainder for women.

It is some-times suggested that women choose to work in those jobs that have relatively low pay and low prestige.

It is suggested sometimes, for example, that women believe that only certain jobs (such as secretary or kindergarten teacher) are “appropriate” for women; that many women choose courses of study that suit them

only for such jobs; that many women choose those jobs because they plan to

raise children and these jobs are relatively easy to leave and re-enter;

that many women choose these jobs because they have limited demands and allow them time to raise

children; that many women defer to the demands of their husbands’ careers and choose to forgo developing their own careers.