THE ETHICS OF JOB

DISCRIMINATION
Professor Jayashree Sadri
 Nature Of Job Discrimination
• The root meaning of the term
dis criminate is “ to distinguish one object
from another”, a morally neutral and not
necessarily wrongful activity.
• However, in modern usage, the term is not
morally neutral; it is usually intended to refer
to the wrongful act of distinguishing illicitly
among people not on the basis of individual
merit but on the basis of prejudice or some
invidious or morally reprehensible attitude.
 Prejudicial Actions
• In this sense, to discriminate in employment is
to make an adverse decision ( or set of
decisions) against employees (or prospective
employees) who belong to a certain class
because of morally unjustified prejudice
towards members of that class.
• There are usually social, cultural, religious,
political, economic and ideological forces at
play that encourage discrimination.
 Roots of the Theory of
Discrimination
John Stuart Mill identified liberty, equality
and fraternity to be the three elements
needed to form a moral basis for an
economic society.

Jean Jacques Rousseau made these three

elements the watchwords of a political
movement as in the French Revolution.
 Socio-Political-Economic
Discrimination
Whenever the principles of liberty,
equality and fraternity were violated
the conditions for socio-political-
economic discrimination arose.
 Hence

Any violation of liberty, equality and

fraternity amounted to the act of
discrimination and that was unethical.
 DISCRIMINATION IN
EMPLOYMENT
• Any person willing to find work and unable to
find work is considered to be unemployed.
• If a person works at a level below what he/she
is capable of working at and (perhaps)
consequently earns less wages is called under-
employed.
• If a person works at a level above what he/she
is capable of working at and (perhaps)
consequently earns higher wages is called over
employed.
 Discrimination and Employment

• Principally there are three elements

that define discrimination in
employment and need to be
consciously considered.
 The First Element

It is a decision against one or more

employees that is not based on individual
merit, such as ability to perform a given
job, seniority, or other morally legitimate
qualifications.
 The Second Element
The decision derives solely or in part
from racial or sexual prejudice, false
stereotypes,or some other kind of
morally unjustified attitude against
members of the class to which the
employee belongs.
 The Third Element

The decision (or set of decisions) has a harmful

or negative impact on the interests of the
employees, perhaps costing them jobs,
promotions or better pay.
 Forms of Discrimination

- Intentional and Isolated.

- Unintentional and Institutionalized.

Who Is Discriminated Against?
The female employee who is expected to grant
favors for merely holding on to a job.
The ethnic minority which is expected to be
grateful just for being with others in a job
situation along with others.
 Why This Discrimination?
• This discrimination basically arises
because those who have the power to
enforce decisions are unaccountable for
their prejudices.
• There is no countervailing power to
prevent this abuse of power.
• The larger civil society remains a mute
spectator to this malaise.
 Cases of General Discrimination
• When certain races or castes are given a
privilege just because of their birth.
• When certain jobs are assigned to
persons simply based on their gender and
this assignment is irrespective of skill.
• When where you studied or who you
know determines what job you get
irrespective of your abilities.
 The Glass Ceiling
• When these three conditions occur the
under-privileged worker faces a glass
ceiling i.e., something he/she can see but
cannot surpass. It is a kind of roadblock
to upward progress in an organization or
society at large based on pre-conceived
notions of what someone is fit to perform.
Who Studies This Discrimination?

Usually it is studied by social scientists

interested in the form and content of
the labor market or by demographers
interested in who stays out of work and
why.
Preventing Discrimination At The
Macro Level
• There must be greater socio-political
awareness created by ethical politicians.
• Social workers must create pressure
groups to force legislation against
discrimination (positive or negative).
• The Fourth Estate (Press and TV) must
highlight cases of discrimination without
fear or favor.
Preventing Discrimination At The
Micro Level
• The H R Department must operate as the
organizational conscience keeper by enforcing
ethics and governance.
• The Employee Collectivity (trade unions) must
boldly and fairly take up all cases of employee
discrimination (positive or negative).
• Top management must not only be ethical but
also be seen to be ethical by those who observe
their actions.
 Preventing Discrimination At the
Individual Level
• Ensuring that the manager acts fairly at all
times and is transparent in these actions
irrespective of who is involved.
• Ensuring that the individual is ruled by his /
her morality and conscience which rises above
petty considerations of race, class, religion and
ideology.
• Ensuring that one does to others what one
would have others done to one at all times.
 CONCLUSION
Discrimination in all forms (especially
in employment) is morally repugnant
and socially intolerable. The more
developed the person, the organization
or the society is, the lesser is the level
of discrimination.
THANK YOU