Discrimination in the Workplace

Discrimination, by definition, “is treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing is perceived to belong to rather than on individual merit,” (https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=discrimination). The United States of America has had a very long history of racial discrimination. It was during the Civil Rights Movements of the 1960’s when the US began to change its way of dealing with race, as well as female inequalities. Nearly 100 years after The Emancipation Proclamation and The Thirteenth Amendment (1865), where all slaves were to be freed, African Americans were still very much discriminated against and kept separate, especially in the southern states, (A&E Television). After several years, hundreds of protests, rallies and court cases, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was amended, recognizing that all persons should have the same rights, (Dessler, 2013, p.32).

By 1972, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act (EEOA) Title VII was amended stating that an employer cannot discriminate based on race, color, sex, religion or nationality. Under the administration of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, all Civil Right laws are to be enforced, including affirmative action, which ensures equal employment opportunities to anyone that has suffered from discrimination in the past, (Dessler, 2013, p. 32). “In recent years, affirmative action has been debated more intensely than at any other time in its 50-year history,” (Social Psychology Network).

There are many myths about affirmative action and why many believe that it is no longer necessary, including the idea that the only way to create a color-blind society is to adopt color-blind policies. This is the mentality of many Americans, including college admissions and in the workplace. “Pretending color doesn’t matter doesn’t actually work…” (Strauss), while in reality this often puts more minorities at a disadvantage. “Unless preexisting inequalities are corrected or otherwise taken into account, color-blind policies do not correct racial injustice; they inforce it,” (Social Psychology Network). The issue of trying to become “color-blind” in America, is that America created the issue to begin with. “America created slavery…and the black ghetto. America has shaped stereotypes grounded in fear of black people. … America has to get beyond fear of black people and fear of difference to begin to order itself in a way that is consistent with its ideals,” (Strauss).

In the years of affirmative action, there has been some positive impacts in racial and gender equality, implying some success. Affirmative action was not meant to be a cure-all solution to solve inequalities, but it is, “…intended only to redress discrimination in hiring and academic admissions,” (Social Psychology Network). Affirmative action has been successful in representing minority and female populations to some degree. Despite progress the EEOA has made there are still many who believe it is no longer necessary, though a larger percentage of Americans still support affirmative action. The Pew Research Polls actually shows that 70% of Americans favor, “…affirmative action programs to help blacks, women and other minorities get better jobs and education,” (Social Psychology Network). What the people oppose the most are the quotas, set-asides, and “reverse discrimination” type policies. Employers need to set emphasis on external recruitment and internal development of better qualified female and minority employees, “while basing employment decisions on legitimate criteria,” (Dessler, 2013. P. 60).

Even though the EEOA was created to prevent discrimination in the workplace and colleges and has been partially effective, it still happens. The act has been insufficient in the prevention of such behaviors in America against people of color and women. As previously mentioned, affirmative action is still needed in our society as minorities are still being discriminated against. Another issue present within the EEOA, under the Equal Pay Act (1963, amended in 1972), is that women still do not receive equal pay while performing the same work as men, requiring, “equivalent skills, effort, and responsibility;