Ana Wolfgramm 3B Human Rights Essay

Discrimination

Everyone in America who is employed is treated equally by everyone (co-workers, employers, managers, etc.). No employee is ever treated unfairly or discriminated. There are many people who actually believe this. They believe that every employed person is treated fairly regardless of their looks, financial status, or social status. According to the laws and regulations of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, The law forbids discrimination when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, and any other term or condition of employment. People who dont believe discrimination still exists choose not to see that it still takes place. They fail to open their eyes and see the whole picture. Nonetheless, discrimination still affects numerous people in the workplace. Discrimination takes place in the workplace which is depicted through many elements such as gender inequality, race discrimination, and socioeconomic status consideration. Gender inequality is a major form of discrimination in the workplace. Women are disfavored more than men and are more harshly stereotyped. A prime example of this is equal pay among women and men. Based on a study done by the Institute for Womens Policy it tells us, In 2011, female full-time workers made only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, a

gender wage gap of 23 percent. On average, women are earning less than men, regardless of the equivalent effort put into the job by both genders. One factor that contributes to this wage gap is the fact that some women have to take time off and leave the workplace due to pregnancy. Yet that shouldnt have to affect their wage if theyre returning to work, doing the same tasks as men! Equal work = Equal pay! Another factor that women are stereotyped with is that they are weak, both physically and emotionally. Its not fair because some women are unfairly shut out of jobs, such as police work and firefighting, because of the stereotype that they cant be aggressive enough to handle the job. Race discrimination is treating someone unfairly because of their race or skin complexion. As of today many ethnic minorities are being discriminated in the workplace. Colored employees are affected unpropitiously when it comes to promotions, equal pay, fair treatment, or/and advancing beyond certain job titles, despite equal effort and qualifications over all employees. A study done by researchers from St. Johns University show that Blacks and Hispanics are less likely than Caucasians to score interviews and job offers. As unreal as that may sound, evidence has been shown by the hiring trends at certain places which has proved the existing racial discrimination. Believe it or not, this type of discrimination still occurs modernly, and often goes undetected. As stated in Dictionary.com, the definition of socioeconomic status "depends on a combination of variables including occupation, education, income, wealth, and place of residence." Copious amounts of people who apply for jobs are discriminated because of their past or current occupations, criminal records, education levels, and income. Lower class minorities, as well as lower class whites, have difficulty climbing the economic ladder because of their economic status. (Wade, 2010) People with a poor socioeconomic status dont get the

same opportunities that people with a more prominent socioeconomic status get, which to some may seem fair, but its still discrimination. Many people claim that discrimination is non-existent today. They claim that discrimination only happened in the past and doesnt take place anymore. They claim that everyone is treated equally by everyone in the workplace and people just complain too much, which brings up needless complications. Wrong. Discrimination happens in various different forms. Modern discrimination is hidden in everyday social communication and interaction, which makes it a bit harder to identify. As stated earlier, people who dont believe discrimination doesnt exist today choose not to see it. All in all, there are still countless numbers of people being discriminated in the workplace varying upon different reasoning. Gender inequality, race/color, and socioeconomic status consideration are just a couple of discrimination types that occur in the workplace. Although there have been many laws and regulations that have gone against discrimination, it is still present in workplaces all over the country. People tend to use stereotypical thoughts upon others because they dont understand them. Stereotypes need to be wiped out because it causes all these problems. Its not illustrated as clearly as it was back in the past, but discrimination surely takes place today.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Discrimination In The Workplace. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. January 2014. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionOnline.<http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/sex.cfm>.

Hegewisch, Ariane. Pay Equity & Discrimination. IWPR. 2010. IWPR. 12 January 2014 <http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination>.

Moran, Rachel F. (2005) "Whatever Happened to Racism?," St. John's Law Review: Vol. 79: Iss. 4, Article 3. <http://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/lawreview/vol79/iss4/3>.

Socioeconomic Status. Dictionary. 2014. Dictionary Online. 13 January 2014 <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/socioeconomic+status?s=t>.

Wade, Mark. Discrimination Based on Socioeconomic Status. U.S: Academic Commons, 2010.