Judging from history, male chauvinism and dominance in all sectors seemed to be in every society. The society always discriminated against female sex claiming that they were followers in all activities including all income generating activities. This led to development of affirmative action (Hurst, 12).
These are policies mainly concerned with eliminating all forms of prejudices and discrimination which ranges from gender discrimination to racial discrimination. In the case at hand, the American society is multicultural consisting of both blacks and whites. From history of the American society, racial prejudice and white male dominance was very prominent (Hurst, 14).
White male dominance was enforced by law since the constitution viewed all blacks regardless of their sex as being inferior. White ladies were viewed as not competent in business leaving the white males as the only pool of labor force that would be hired. This made the other people in America develop negative attitudes towards the white males thus even moved far from business (Hurst, 22).
After the end of racial discrimination and enactment of acts of law giving citizens of both gender equal rights, a lot of transformation has occurred in the American society. These changes have been reflected in the whole society and labor force composition where there has been a shift from white male dominance to male and female composition of almost equal percentages though males are generally more than females in virtually all sectors (Hurst, 23).
Applying the egoism theory, by everyone having a right to transact in a business the whole population enjoys the benefits. However, the people do this for self interest and in the end reduce the dependency ratio in the country. In this paper, I will confine myself to the utilitarian theory in which I support mass happiness (John, 5).
The enactment of these Acts appeared to fulfill the dream of martin Luther king junior who always castigated racial discrimination and it is believed that he died for his dream. Equal treatment by the law of all people regardless of their gender or race has been the main dream in the American society though a lot has not yet been achieved. This has led to development of a strategic plan by the American government to ensure affirmative action (Nina, 12).
One of the plans to eradicate all forms of discrimination has been education right. The American federal government has decided to set up schools for all children regardless of their racial origin. This has led to promotion and acceptance of cultural diversity in the American society. Serving all the learners with equal education enables the culturally diversified children appreciate one another resulting even in better trade among the different cultures (Nina, 15).
Another plan has been equal opportunities when in need of starting or running a business. In the earlier society, blacks were not allowed to own any business enterprise and if they were allowed, only the small scale businesses. Any large scale business enterprise belonged only to a white. White women were viewed as being weaker compared to men thus could not manage such business enterprises (John, 24).
In spite of all these efforts, some cultural boundaries still exist. The blacks and whites rarely mix. This has led to development of states where the majority residents are blacks and in other whites. The schools in the region have to be funded from taxes levied within the state. This has led to different education standards despite the federal law calling for equal rights to education. So as to counter this problem, the federal government has come up with policies that favor equitable distribution of resources so as to ensure all states have fairly stable taxes income so as to try and ensure equal education standards (Nina, 16).
Another plan by the government to reduce gender disparity is use of incentives for women into business. A good example of this is mostly in disciplined forces intake. Some vacancies are set aside for ladies thus the competition is reduced. This has been emulated even by third world countries resulting in more ladies venturing in fields previously dominated by men. In return, this will result in happiness of the many as postulated by the utilitarian theory (John, 26).
The money lending institutions have also come up with credit packages favoring the discriminated against. These packages are mostly under small and medium size enterprises which offer credit facilities to small and medium scale businesses. These packages serve a purpose of empowering the women and other discriminated people. These packages usually face tax subsidy from the federal government thus the government also helps promote equitable business ventures reducing male or white dominance in business (Nina, 32).
In conclusion, the US government appears to be very much focused on promoting equal venture capability regardless of gender or race. This has been met by many obstacles though with the current strategies, it will eventually realize the dream of Martin Luther King junior. These obstacles are rooted in the people but as cultural diversity continue to be embraced. If the society embraces the utilitarian theory, then affirmative action will be fully deployed and the society will improve in all spheres not only in business.
Works cited
Nina F. In The Moral of the Story: Myself or Others. Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing, 2000 Print.
John C. Morality and the theory of rational behavior: Utilitarianism and Beyond. Cambridge University Press, 2002 Print.
Hurst, C. Social Inequality: Forms, Causes, and Consequences. Prentice Hall Press, 2007 Print.
