Discrimination in the Workplace In today’s age it can be difficult for many to imagine a world in which applicants were denied employment for factors such as their gender, race, religion or national origin. We have grown accustomed to living in a country that provides legislative protection in the case of discrimination in and outside the workforce. Yet, this was not always the case. It has been a mere 52 years since the illegalization of “discrimination in education, employment, public accommodations and the receipt of federal funds on the basis on race, color, gender, national origin and religion.”(BL pg.98) This new set of legislation is known as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although it did not make amends for year of abuse and discrimination, …show more content…
Although African Americans were finally able to gain back their freedom; they did not gain equality in the eyes of their former oppressors. Resentful of the newfound freedom of African Americans, laws known as Jim Crow laws were established throughout the United Stated by states and local governments. These discriminatory laws worked to systematically oppress African Americans through segregation and violence. They were segregated from whites; forbidden to attend the same schools, eat in the same restaurants or intermarry. African Americans were treated as second class citizens; lesser beings that had no rights. “Blacks could not vote, sue whites, testify against them, raise their voice to them or even look them in the eye or stay on the sidewalk if they passed.” (BL p.98) The era of Jim Crow was a dangerous time where even a glance was enough for an African American to be murdered. But there was only so much abuse that would be withstood. The winds of change were beginning to stir and African Americans and their supporters were beginning to demand their equality. The years leading up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were turbulent times filled with great strife brought by the ever-growing dissent. Marches, sit-ins and protests abounded. Citizens from around the world …show more content…
Rather, it was added to the law by the opposition in an attempt to prevent the law from gaining the necessary vote to be instated. The little discussion concerning the matter of gender discrimination left courts with very little information to assist them in interpreting the law. (BL 348) Today courts generally “have determined that gender discrimination also includes discrimination due to pregnancy and sexual harassment, but not because of affinity orientation or being transgender.” (pg.348) Given with the passing of time, it is also natural for individuals to imagine just how prevalent gender discrimination is in our society but as stated by EEOC’s chairman in 2009, “sex discrimination against males and females alike continues to be a problem in the 21st century.”(pg. 338 – EEOC press release.) Gender itself plays a prominent role in our lives in the form of stereotypes, customs and ideas which are often discriminatory in nature, whether intentional or not. Of the two genders, women continue to be the most affected by gender discrimination and even as the number of woman in high positions continues to grow, they are still a proportionately large number of filled claims. (pg.338-339). According to a report released by the EEOC in 2010, “gender suits account for the second highest percentage of substantive claims brought under Title VII, behind race.” (#9, EEOC
"Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the single most important piece of legislation that has helped to shape and define employment law rights in this country (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2001)". Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, gender, disability, religion and national origin. However, it was racial discrimination that was the moving force of the law that created a whirlwind of a variety of discriminations to be amended into Title VII. Title VII was a striving section of legislation, an effort which had never been tried which made the passage of the law an extremely uneasy task. This paper will discuss the evolution of Title VII as well as the impact Title VII has had in the workforce.
Although the United States has gone through a lot of phases that have made drastic changes in how we live today, such as the 1920’s, the Great Depression, and WWII, the Civil Rights movement is ultimately the most significant era as traces of that turbulent phase still remains till this day.
It is highly believed by individuals that discrimination in the U.S. has dramatically changed since the 1900s. Blacks were once discriminated against via Jim Crow laws. Today, black Americans have gained the right to eat at public lunch counters, vote, ride public buses, and attend public schools. While the...
While both race and gender have very real societal and, in some instances, personal consequences which enables both to be categorized as real neither race nor gender is more real than the other. Both of them faced and still face overt and covert discrimination, and both of them are built upon a mountain of logical fallacies that are able to ultimately be reduced down to societal standards and obligations forced upon them by the dominant group. Since they are also both deeply embedded in our culture they have become integrated into our sense of who we, as humans, are and in our perceptions of other people and situations.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the catalyst in abolishing the separate but equal policies that had been a mainstay in our society. Though racial discrimination was the initial focal point, its enactment affected every race. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in housing, education, employment, public accommodations and the receipt of federal funds based on certain discrimination factors such as race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or religion. Title VII is the employment segment of the Civil Rights Act and is considered one of the most important aspects of legislation that has helped define the employment law practices in this country. Prior to Title VII, an employer could hire and fire an employee for any given reason. Title VII prohibits discrimination in hiring, firing, training, promotion, discipline or other workplace decisions. (Bennett-Alexander-Hartman, Fourth Edition, pp 85) Though it applies to everyone, its enactment was especially significant to women and minorities, who until its passage had limited recourse in harassment based discriminations in the workplace.
The statistics of today show its still racism in the United States with hate crimes of 47 percent including police brutality, salary wage between men and women, mass incarceration with young men in prison who in this economy have little advantages if they have a family to support can’t. Justice has not been served for individuals who experience racism encounters either with the police or being murder for the color of your skin. Racial Discrimination applies to specific economic and social opportunities that influence others to think or behave negatively.
Racism can take on many forms that plague the brain with irrationality that affects an individual’s thoughts and actions. Racism can be a physical form, through an external action, or can branch off into unethical thoughts. This is more known to be a discriminative thought, judging a person based on impressions. This social problem can also be ignored by the oblivious persons of the crowd. Many individuals speak out about how racial tension is long gone and forever forgotten ever since the first African-American was elected to be president in 2008, but this can be evidently proven false. Racial tension is still here to target the minorities in the forms of affirmative action and Ferguson conflicts.
Henkel, Dovidio, and Gaertner (2006), in their article titled, “Institutional Discrimination, Individual Racism, and Hurricane Katrina,” argue that the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina was shaped by roles of institutional discrimination, subtle biases, and cultural influences that lead to a racial mistrust with the government and the black community. The authors begin by explaining that the understanding of racism is much more complex as how it is portrayed in the media. They state that racism involves more than individual biases; racism reflects institutional, social, and cultural influences. In addition, Kovel (1970) differentiates between the “old-fashioned” dominative racists who act out bigoted beliefs and the aversive racists who regard themselves as nonprejudiced, but, at the same
Gender discrimination is defined as prejudice against an individual due to his or her gender or sex. Discrimination against women has been occurring for years and continues to pose an issue today, especially in institutions such as the workforce. In the past, women were limited to very few rights; they were not permitted to vote and were considered as “property”. The only real jobs they had were housewives.and only a handful of women were in the labor force. In today’s society, women compose more than half of the workforce, yet they earn a significantly less amount compared to their male counterparts for completing the same tasks. Due to the subtleness of the issue, many still continue to be unaware of the discrimination which occurs. Though the issues regarding gender discrimination have gone through improvements recently, the issue at hand
Discrimination against women in the workplace is an unfortunate reality even in this day and age. It has a significant negative impact not only economically but also on women 's confidence, sense of self worth, and can also cause them to lose motivation and morale which is required to perform their jobs. Although there are a number of laws in place to protect women in the workplace in the United States, such as the Equal Pay Act and the Civil Rights Act, discrimination still occurs. It can take many forms such as sexual harassment, age discrimination and gender discrimination.
...or southern blacks to vote. In 1967 the Supreme Court rules interracial marriage legal. In 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was shot dead at the age of thirty-nine. Also the civil rights act of 1968 is passed stopping discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing. In 1988 President Reagan’s veto was overridden by congress passing the “Civil Rights Restoration Act” expanding the reach of non-discrimination laws within private institutions receiving federal funds. In 1991 President Bush. signs the, “Civil Rights Act of 1991”, strengthening existing civil rights laws. In 2008 President Obama is elected as the first African American president. The American Civil Rights Movement has made a massive effect on our history and how our country is today. Without it things would be very different. In the end however, were all human beings regardless of our differences.
Prejudice and discrimination have both been prevalent throughout human history. Prejudice deals with the inflexible and irrational attitudes and opinions that are held by others of one group against those of another. Discrimination on the other hand refers to the behaviors directed against another group. Prejudiced individuals have preconceived beliefs about groups of people or cultural practices. There are both positive and negative forms of prejudice, however, the negative form of prejudice leads to discrimination. Individuals that practice discrimination do so to protect opportunities for themselves, by denying access to those whom they believe do not deserve the same treatment as everyone else. An example of discrimination based on prejudice involves the Jews. “Biased sentiments and negative stereotypes of Jews have been a part of Western tradition for centuries and, in fact, have been stronger and more vicious in Europe than in the United States. For nearly two millennia, European Jews have been chastised and persecuted as the “killers of Christ” and stereotyped as materialistic moneylenders and crafty business owners (Healey, p.65). The prejudice against these groups led to the discrimination against them.
What exactly is workplace discrimination? (Statistic) It can be defined as a less favorable treatment towards an individual or a group of individuals at work, usually based on their nationality, skin color, sex, marital status, age, sexual orientation, or other defining attributes. It can appear as a denial of certain rights, negligent treatment, deliberate harassment or work results and achievements, and so on. A person can be discriminated by their coworkers or by the employer. Thesis: Gender inequality in the workplace is an ethically historic and significant issue which requires adequate solutions because it leads to unethical discrimination of women, minorities, and those who are members of the LGBT community. As a rule, discrimination
Discrimination is all over the world and it's been a very serious problem in society. We judge each other daily because of their gender, ethnicity, religion, age, and the way a person behaves. Discrimination is the “unequal treatment provided to one or more parties based on a mutual accord or some other logical or illogical reason” (Merriam-Webster). In the modern world of the United State of America the topic of discrimination in the Justice system is debatable because there is considerable evidence confirming both individual and systemic biases. The United States has an extended history of discrimination in several aspects of life, including employment, public accommodations and education. Nowadays there are extremely biased individuals and do not like to accept people of different ethnicity. This paper focuses on the discrimination and it history.
When it comes to the words prejudice and discrimination it’s less likely that the two are not used together. Especially when it comes to the way the world views people with disabilities. The first thought that you get when you see a person with a disability is your prejudgment of them, while discrimination takes place right after which is the action involved. Although both of these words can be seen in a positive light they tend to fall more on the negative side of many situations. Societal prejudice and discrimination of people with disabilities are very common in society. It is rare that a disability is not defined and categorized upon an individual. Although, being a PWD wouldn’t be seen as “normal” they are normal within their own group. “The increasing proportion of the population with disabilities adds new dimensions to the concept of normalcy” stated Smart. (2001).