From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Employment discrimination
Employment discrimination
Employment discrimination (or workplace discrimina- Gay bashing • Gendercide • Genocide (examples) •
tion)
tion is discrimination in hiring, promotion, job assign- Hate crime • Hate speech • Homeless dumping • Hous-
ment, termination, and compensation. It includes vari- ing • Indian rolling • LGBT hate crime • Mortgage •
ous types of harassment. Murder Music • Occupational segregation • Pogrom •
Many jurisdictions prohibit some types of employ- Racist music • Race war • Religious persecution •
ment discrimination, often by forbidding discrimination Trans-bashing • Wife selling •
based on certain traits ("protected categories"). In other Witch-hunt •
cases, the law may require discrimination against certain
groups. Policies
In places where it is illegal, discrimination often takes Age, Racial segregation •
subtler forms, such as wage discrimination and require- Religious, Sex segregation • Blood quantum • Cleanli-
ments with disparate impact on certain groups. In addi- ness of blood • Apartheid • Ethnocracy • Gender
tion, employees sometimes suffer retaliation for oppos- roles • Gerontocracy • Ghetto benches • Internment •
ing workplace discrimination or for reporting violations Jewish quota • Jim Crow laws • MSM blood donor con-
to the authorities. troversy • Numerus clausus • Nuremberg Laws • Ra-
Like most discrimination, employment discrimina- cial quota • Redlining • Sodomy law •
tion may occur intentionally or unintentionally, because Ugly law •
of prejudice or ignorance. Other forms
Part of a series on Black supremacy •
Genetic • Linguistic • Pregnancy • Supremacism •
Discrimination
White supremacy •
General forms
Related topics
General Anti-cultural sentiment •
Ageism • Assimilation • Bigotry • Eugenics • Oppression • Preju-
Caste • Classism • Colorism • Genism • Heightism • Lin- dice • Religious intolerance • Religious persecution •
guicism • Lookism • Mentalism • Racism • Rankism • Stereotypes •
Religionism • Sexism • Sexualism • Sizeism •
Speciesism •
Weightism •
Specific forms
Protected categories
Social
AIDS stigma • Laws often prohibit discrimination on the basis of:
Ableism • Adultism • Anti-albinism • Anti-homeless- • Race or color
ness • Anti-intellectualism • Anti-left handedness • • Ethnicity or national origin
Antisemitism • Audism • Biphobia • Cronyism • Elitism • Sex or gender
(academic) • Ephebiphobia • Fatism • Gerontophobia • • Pregnancy
Heteronormativity • Heterophobia • Heterosexism • • Religion or creed
Homonegativity • Homophobia • Lesbophobia • Le- • Political affiliation
prosy stigma • Misandry • Misogyny • Nepotism • Pe- • Language abilities
dophobia • Reverse discrimination • Sectarianism • • Citizenship
Transphobia • • Disability or medical condition
Xenophobia • • Age
• Sexual orientation
Manifestations • Gender identity
Affirmative action • • Marital status
Blood libel • Disability hate crime • Economic • Elimi- • Military veteran status
nationism • Employment • Ethnic cleansing • Ethnic • Military discharge status or anticipated military
joke • Ethnocide • Forced conversion • Freak show • deployment
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Employment discrimination
• Use of Tobacco Products Minimum wages enacted by the governments or
Some jurisdictions prohibit employment discrimination unions decrease the loss caused by discrimination. Thus
against other social groups that have legal protections. they weaken the markets’ natural incentives not to dis-
They include discrimination or harassment based on so- criminate. They also decrease the number of people
cioeconomic class, height or weight if not relevant to em- whom the companies may profitably hire and thus make
ployment, and provincial/regional origin. it unprofitable for the companies to hire people who
have little expertise. [2]
Effects of discrimination
Effects of discrimination in the
Markets punish the discriminator workplace
The Nobel prize-winning economist Gary Becker showed
in his book The Economics of Discrimination (University of Discrimination in the workplace negatively affects busi-
Chicago Press, 1957) how the markets automatically pun- nesses in that discriminatory policies can hurt a compa-
ish the companies that discriminate.[1] ny’s reputation. A business self-limits itself when it re-
The profitability of the company that discriminates is stricts advancement to certain groups or types of em-
decreased, and the loss is "directly proportional to how ployees. Speaking negatively about a former employee
much the employer’s decision was based on prejudice, can be damaging for a potential client. There is also a di-
rather than on merit." Indeed, choosing a worker with rect correlation between loyalty, retention, and discrim-
lower performance (in comparison to salary) causes loss- ination. Employees are more likely to be looking for new
es proportional to the difference in performance. Sim- jobs when they feel they have been wronged. According
ilarly, the customers who discriminate against certain to a report on discrimination at the workplace by the In-
kinds of workers in favor of less effective have to pay ternational Labour Organization, “workplace discrimina-
more for their services, in the average. [1] tion remains a persistent global problem, with new, more
If a company discriminates, it typically losses prof- subtle forms emerging.”[3] Sending wrong signals to po-
itability and market share to the companies that do not tential clients can also cause conflict because customers
discriminate, unless the state limits free competition can sense when employees aren’t enthusiastic or don’t
protecting the discriminators. [2] believe in their company. This is one reason that it is
important for a job applicant to observe the attitudes of
Discrimination by the government people they wish to work with. Sending positive signals
to employees attracts future potential employees.
In politics, the dominating part of the population rules.
Inequalities suffered by discriminated groups
Therefore, the worst discrimination in the history has
spreads. Due to affirmative action policies, a new middle
been committed by states. For example, the anti-semitic
class has been created that consists of formerly discrimi-
practices of the Nazi-Germany would not have happened
nated people in some countries but in others, people who
on free markets, because they would have caused losses.
are from discriminated groups are frequently involved
[1]
in the worst jobs, denied benefits, capital, land, social
Government officials and politicians need not care
protection, training, or credit. Discrimination at a work-
about losses as much as companies, which decreases
place can lead to poverty. “Discrimination creates a web
their incentive not to discriminate. For example, around
of poverty, forced and child labor and social exclusion,
1900 the afro-Americans started to compete of jobs that
(seeking to eliminate discrimination is indispensable to
had previously been all-white jobs. Because whites had
any strategy for poverty reduction and sustainable eco-
more voting power, they enacted a law that made pho-
nomic development).”[3]
tographs of the applicants obligatory in civil service job
In December 2005, a Gallup poll showed that job satis-
applications. The number of blacks in federal employ-
faction was lowest when employees experienced discrim-
ment plummeted for decades. [2]
ination.
In early 20th century South Africa mine owners pre-
ferred hiring black workers because they were cheaper.
Then the whites successfully persuaded the government Gender discrimination and the
to enact laws that highly restricted the black’ rights to
work (see Apartheid). [2]
workplace
Similarly, to make more profits, producers secretly Even though there are regulations that are used to pro-
hired screenwriters who were on Senator Joseph mote equality within the workplace, discrimination is
McCarthy’s blacklist, which mitigated the effects of the still rampant. Women still do not measure up to men
list. [2] when it comes to income, employment rates and occupa-
tional range. Women’s average salary is 72 to 88 percent
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Employment discrimination
of men’s, even when variables such as education, age, po- crimination. For example, people born in cities are natu-
sition level and job tenure are considered. In most coun- rally underrepresented in farming. [2]
tries, the glass ceiling is ever present for women and the A company has the incentive to hire all people whose
wage differences are significant compared to men. Based work produces more revenue than the cost of hiring
on a report by Catalyst in 2005, only “one in eight woman them. [2]
were CEO’s in the Fortune 500; an additional nine were
CEO’s in Fortune 501-1000 companies.” Women are also
more likely to be stuck in low-paid but more secure posi-
Legal protection from employ-
tions (i.e. education and healthcare). Historically the rate ment discrimination
of employment for women was lower; however, due to
Many countries have laws prohibiting employment dis-
the late 2000s recession the participation of women in
crimination. Sometimes these are part of broader anti-
the workforce has surpassed that of men. “Discrimina-
discrimination laws.
tion can occur at every stage of employment, from re-
• Employment discrimination law in the United States
cruitment to education and remuneration, occupational
• Employment discrimination law in the United
segregation, and at time of layoffs.”[3]
Kingdom
• Employment discrimination law in the European
Unintentional discrimination Union
Unintentional discrimination (often termed "statistical In the United States, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of
discrimination") occurs when neutral selection practices 1964 protects employees against various forms of em-
produce a substantial disparity of outcomes between one ployment discrimination. In addition to federal law safe-
group and another. Such practices include the use of guards, employees in California have broad protections
standardized tests (which may disadvantage certain under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). [4]
groups) and/or height or weight (which may disadvan-
tage women and some ethnic groups) in the hiring See also
process. If the requirements are job-related and a "busi-
• Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951
ness necessity", the disparity is irrelevant.
• Discrimination (Employment and Occupation)
Some laws prohibit unintentional as well as inten-
Convention, 1958
tional discrimination, but may have different standards
• Economic discrimination
for deciding what is acceptable. Substantial disparities in
• Labour and employment law
outcome are not necessarily illegal, if the practices that
• Marriage bars
produce them are necessary.
Statistical discrimination vs. actual dis- References
crimination [1] ^ The Economics of Discrimination, Robert P.
In some older studies, it has seemed as if the employers Murphy, Library of Economics, AUGUST 2, 2010
would discriminate for Far-Asians (15 to 25 percent more [2] ^ Discrimination, The Concise Encyclopedia of
than for Caucasians) and against Afro-Americans (25 % Economics, Library of Economics
less than for Caucasians) in pay and employment. When [3] ^ ILO: Workplace discrimination, a picture of hope
accounted for the amount and quality of the education and concern
and the geographic location, the differences disappeared. [4] Employment Discrimination In California -
So it seems that the difference was not because of dis- Solomon, Saltsman & Jamieson
crimination but because the Far-Asians usually had more
and better education and worked in the North, where the
salaries are higher also for Afro-Americans. [2]
Further reading
Similarly, some other studies about wage discrimina- • Pager, Devah (2009). Marked: Race, Crime, and Finding
tion often lacks several factors that account for the dif- Work in an Era of Mass Incarceration. University of
ferences in productivity of different workers. For exam- Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226644844.
ple, women more often choose low-wage careers or non- • Papa, Michael J.; Tom D. Daniels, Barry K. Spiker
profit jobs and they have less working experience than (2007). Organizational Communication: Perspectives and
men of same age. In studies that sufficiently account for Trends (5 ed.). SAGE. ISBN 1412916844.
this kind of factors, remarkable wage differences are not • Trentham, Susan; Laurie Larwood (1998). "Gender
found. [2] Discrimination and the Workplace: An Examination
Also the fact that some groups are underrepresented of Rational Bias Theory". Sex Roles 38 (112): 1–28.
in some institutions and professions does not prove dis- doi:10.1023/A:1018782226876.
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Employment discrimination
• Wadhwa, Vivek (6 June 2006). "The True Cost of jun2006/sb20060606_087038.htm. Retrieved 29
Discrimination". BusinessWeek Online. August 2009.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/
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Categories:
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