Discrimination

Equal opportunity in the workplace is loosely defined as the ability to offer all types of people a fair chance for employment in the workforce.   Fairness in the the employment process has always been an issue around the world, and it continues to remain as one of the most consistent problems present in the United States.  Ethnic, gender, and lifestyle differences are cited as the most influential factors in workplace discrimination.  Equal opportunity is still nothing but a hopeful theory to the optimists the belief it is possible.

Equal opportunity employers, however, break the trend.  Equal opportunity employment was created by president Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 to prevent discrimination by contractors based on race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation.  Unfortunately, workplace discrimination continues to be present.  Certain groups are especially discriminated against, especially with regard to workplace employment.  Unfortunately, discrimination does not end in the workplace.  Those victim to discrimination experience it daily in their personal lives from their peers, neighbors, and loved ones as well.

All is not equal in equal opportunity, however.  Some groups are more likely to experience discrimination in the workplace.  Listed below are 5 groups that are currently experience a significant amount of discrimination in the workplace:

1. Muslims

Muslims experience the most discrimination out of any religious group, according to a Pew Forum survey.  The survey found that 6 out of every 10 Americans say that Muslims experience “a lot of discrimination.”  8 years after 9/11, Muslims still struggle to break stereotypes of their religion.  In recent news, Muslim workers who want to take time during the work day to pray have been experiencing heavy discrimination.  Some have even been fired for leaving the office to pray or protest without authorization.

2. Gays & Lesbians

Homosexuality has become ingrained in our society– but not yet in the workplace.  Acceptance of homosexuality has increased in the US as the years go by, with the percentage of people who accept homosexuality rising from 34% in 1982 to 54% in 2006.  Currently, only 13 states and 200 municipalities have sexual orientation discrimination laws.

3. Women

Gender discrimination in the work place has always been the prominent form of discrimination in the workplace.  After all, women make up 46.5% of the workforce.  Stereotypes of weakness, softness, and inability still abound in offices today.  Women continue to make only 80% of what men make when working the same hours.

4.  Blacks

According a survey done by CareerBuilder.com, 30% of blacks have experienced discrimination in the workplace.  77% of those experiencing discrimination labeled the discrimination moderate to severe.  Some examples of the most common discriminations include not having their concerns addressed or taken seriously, not receiving credit for their work, or feeling like their ideas or inputs are ignored.

5.  Hispanics

The number of Hispanics in the US has been steadily growing for years.  It is predicted that, within the tangible future, Hispanics will be the largest represented ethnicity in the US.  According to a survey done by CareerBuilder.com, 29% of Hispanics have experienced discrimination in the workplace.  Of those 29%, only 23% reported that the guilty party was held accountable.  Hispanic workers are still the fastest growing section of the U.S. labor force, yet 31% of Hispanics say that their ethnicity works against them when searching for a job.

Equal opportunity employers offer comfort to those experiencing discrimination.  Unfortunately, equal opportunities in the workplace are not present elsewhere.  A large percentage of the population will continue to experience discrimination, despite working for an equal opportunity employer.