Employment Discrimination 2

The Expansion of Gender Definition and Federal Law

  • Significant changes in the definition of gender and federal law concerning sexual orientation and gender identity.

  • Nationwide efforts to include sexual orientation and gender identity in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

  • Trump administration opposed this inclusion.

  • Resulting in a patchwork of state-based rights where, for instance, a gay man could be legally denied employment in certain states.

Gender Disparity in Leadership

  • Women graduate at higher rates than men, yet only 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.

  • Companies advertise as sophisticated, forward-looking, and multicultural, raising questions about employment equality.

  • Need for investigation into employment discrimination across different races and ethnicities.

Explanation for Pay Differences

Education and Employment Disparities

  • Higher dropout rates for African Americans and Latinos in high school compared to whites and Asians.

  • Lower college attendance rates for African Americans and Latinos.

  • Employers may discriminate against African Americans and Latinos, leading to wage disparities.

    • Evidence shows white employees earn more than minorities with the same education level.

Potential Reasons for Earnings Gaps

  • Differences may arise from:

    • Quality of education.

    • Connections to the job market.

    • Job experience.

    • Employer discrimination resulting in biased hiring practices.

Study on Employer Discrimination

  • Study involved sending identical resumes with white and black names to employers.

  • Resumes with white names received significantly more callbacks across industries.

  • Data shows black and Hispanic employees face higher rates of layoffs during economic downturns.

Proposal Against Discrimination

  • Suggestion to make it illegal to discriminate based on unemployment status or criminal history.

  • Consideration of social versus private costs,

    • Acknowledgment that these criteria may disadvantage lower-income applicants, often from minority backgrounds.

  • Relevant concerns regarding job performance related to applicants' backgrounds.

"Ban the Box" Laws

  • Overview of two states that prohibited asking about criminal history until the second interview.

  • Maintenance of criminal background checks post-first interview.

  • Examination of the impact of "Ban the Box" laws on racial discrimination.

  • A 2016 University of Michigan study involved 15,000 fictitious applications to businesses in NY and NJ.

    • Results showed an increased racial gap in callbacks from 7% to 45% after the laws were enacted.

Additional Information

  • Watch a video on the consequences of racial discrimination for further understanding.