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Today’s Topics

Today’s Topics. Discuss Affirmative Action Discuss Diversity in the Workplace (Women Workers). Liberty, Equality, Justice, and Difference. How do we achieve equality in the face of significant differences? Justice means treating like cases alike, but when are two cases alike?.

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Today’s Topics

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  1. Today’s Topics Discuss Affirmative Action Discuss Diversity in the Workplace (Women Workers)

  2. Liberty, Equality, Justice, and Difference • How do we achieve equality in the face of significant differences? • Justice means treating like cases alike, but when are two cases alike?

  3. The Realities of Difference • Important physical performance differences between genders • Important cognitive performance differences between genders • Important cognitive performance differences between races

  4. How Do We Interpret, Account For, And Remedy the Mismatch Between Our Assumptions and the Reality of Difference?

  5. Two Views of Equal Opportunity • Equality of Process--the restrictive view • Equality of Results--the expansive view

  6. Equality of Process • A society of color blind equal opportunity • The California Civil Rights Initiative--prohibits the use of race, sex, color, ethnicity and national origin for discrimination against or preferential treatment of any person. . .

  7. Equality of Result • With a fair process, the results should roughly match population demographics • “You don’t starve somebody for a month, break both legs, put him at the starting line and say ‘May the best man win!’” Lyndon B. Johnson

  8. How Do We Explain the Observed Differences? Is Society, or Government, Responsible (past discrimination)?

  9. Possible Responses to Imposed or Created Inequality • Use different standards for different groups • Race norming • Take Affirmative Action to remedy the inequality • Do nothing

  10. Is Affirmative Action Morally Permissible? • Pojman--NO • Hettinger--YES, though it is problematic

  11. Pojman--Affirmative Action is Morally Impermissible • Define terms--Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action

  12. Equal Opportunity • Everyone has a fair chance at the best positions. Only native aptitude and effort enter into the decision. • Special policies

  13. Affirmative Action • to remedy past injustices • Weak Affirmative Action--eliminating formal barriers, increasing minority representation in an applicant pool, using race as a tie-breaker • Strong Affirmative Action--reverse discrimination, preferences, set asides.

  14. Role Models Need to Break Stereotypes Equal Results Compensation for Past Injustices Compensation from those who benefited Diversity as a Primary Good Anti-Meritocratic Position Arguments For Affirmative Action

  15. Reverse Discrimination is Still Wrong Perpetuates Victim Syndrome Encourages Mediocrity and Incompetence Unjustly Shifts Burden of Proof Meritocracy Slippery Slope It Just Doesn’t work Against Affirmative Action

  16. Additional Arguments Against • Economically inefficient • Unfair to those not selected • Rewards an individual for membership in a disadvantaged group, even though the individual might not be disadvantaged

  17. Hettinger--Affirmative Action IS Morally Justified • Bad Arguments Against Affirmative Action

  18. Affirmative Action is NOT Equivalent to Racism or Sexism • Motives matter • Results differ radically

  19. Race and Sex are Sometimes Relevant Characteristics • Special Job requirements • Mission

  20. Affirmative Action and Stereotyping • Works ONLY against the compensatory justice defense

  21. Affirmative Action Is NOT Unjust • Efficiency • Best Qualified has a “Right” to the job • Best Qualified deserves the job • Best Qualified is entitled to the job

  22. Good Arguments Against Affirmative Action • Judgment on Involuntary Characteristics • Burdens without compensation

  23. Judgment on Involuntary Characteristics

  24. Burdens Without Compensation

  25. Despite the Legitimate Arguments Against Affirmative Action, The Benefits Outweigh The Costs

  26. Diversity in the Workplace--The New Role of Women

  27. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace • It still happens and is a very real problem • What it is differs from situation to situation

  28. Sexual Harassment is bothering Someone in a Sexual Way When that Person Didn’t Ask for And Doesn’t Want Sexual Attention

  29. The Attitude of the Recipient of the Attention Determines Whether the Conduct Is Harassing

  30. Kinds of Sexual Harassment • Quid Pro Quo • Hostile environment • Favoritism • Non-employee

  31. Employers Have a Moral and Legal Duty to Develop Policies Against Sexual Harassment and Remedies for It

  32. It Still Happens • Second Class Status in Higher Education

  33. Women In Higher Education • Fewer tenure track jobs • Granted tenure at lower rates than men • Double standards of evaluation • Lower rates of publication

  34. It Still Happens • Second Class Status in Higher Education • Forklift Systems v. Harris • EEOC vs. Sears and Johnson Controls

  35. Dilemmas of Feminism

  36. Varieties of Feminism • Equality feminism (traditional view) • Difference feminism

  37. Difference Feminism • Carol Gilligan and women’s moral knowledge • Sandra Harding and women’s ways of knowing

  38. Varieties of Feminism • Equality feminism (traditional view) • Difference feminism • Separatist (lesbian) feminism

  39. Equality Feminism Forces Women to Adopt Male Views of the World

  40. Difference Feminism Can Be Used to Disadvantage Women

  41. There is a Tension Between the Value of Work and the Value of Family

  42. Family is a Business Issue • 70% of women with children 6-17 work outside the home • American business relies of female labor • Ignoring family issues threatens productivity

  43. Four Reasons to Make Family Values a Business Value • Changing demographics • Employee perceptions and expectations are changing • The mommy track • Competing biological and career clocks

  44. Four Reasons to Make Family Values a Business Value • Changing demographics • Employee perceptions and expectations are changing • Inflexibility adversely affects productivity • Concern for children and child rearing is growing

  45. How to Make Family Friendly Businesses • Dependent care • More flexible work conditions • Flex time and part time work • Job sharing • Validate family values in corporate mission

  46. Is Your Workplace Family Friendly? • Do policies support marital unity and stability? • Is ANY sexual harassment tolerated? • How do you deal with sexual attraction? • Is prolonged spousal separation expected?

  47. Is Your Workplace Family Friendly • How do you address the obligations of work and parenthood? • How do you address issues of family relocation? • Are lengthy business trips expected? • How rigid are the hours and overtime expectations?

  48. Is Your Workplace Family Friendly • Do you respect family independence and privacy? • Is your wage structure sufficient to support a family?

  49. Fecundity Varies Inversely with Education and Income • 66% of all female CEO’s under 40 are childless. Over 90% of all male CEO’s under 40 are fathers. • Is maternity leave a strike against a female worker? WHY? • Equality in the face of difference

  50. DuPont is committed to “making changes in the workplace and fostering changes in the community that are sensitive to the changing family unit and the increasingly diverse work force.”

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