The term discrimination refers to unequal and unfair treatment of certain groups of people or one person in view of the origin, nationality, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, political beliefs or any other discriminatory criterion. It is commonly asserted that the heterogeneous population has resulted in the diversity in the labor market.
When it comes to work, women are presumably the most vulnerable and liable to discrimination. This stereotypical view has a long history. Employers are reluctant to employ young women as they are fully aware of the fact that in due course women will require maternity leaves. It is against the law to dismiss a female employee because of the pregnancy or maternity leave. However, far too many employers are inclined to break the law in terms of latent discrimination. There has been a considerable increase in the number of redundant pregnant women as well as new mothers. It seems that some employers tend to dismiss mothers-to-be on the pretext of the recession (Welle & Heilman, 2007). Being morally wrong, such plausible excuses might result in depressive moods as well as exacerbate workplace gender discrimination.
Discriminative attitude and biased treatment occurs in a number of workplace environments. The subordination of employees usually predisposes to so called ‘job strain’ that ultimately might lead to discrimination of some kind. Workplace discrimination occurs when a person is treated unfavorably due to the skin color, gender, age, religion or even disability. A wide range of situations can illustrate this point. While recruiting, some employers might exclude potential employees due to some stereotypic impressions. In some cases certain employees are denied compensation or benefits. Another indicator of discrimination is the use of facilities, or to be more precise, the lack of ones owing to a subjective dislike of a particular individual. What is more, different salaries are paid equally-qualified employees who hold the same position. The elderly are likely to be discriminated with regard to retirement that normally results in lay-offs. Any aspect of larbor market might encounter discriminatory practices. Being illegal for an employer, assumptions based on religion, age or gender-related stereotypes are still made every now and then.
It is worth bearing in mind that workplace discrimination and unemployment rate are often entwined. If some companies avoid hiring women, the female applicants will lack job opportunities, thus in all likelihood they will remain unemployed for some time. The same line of reasoning can be applied to the aforementioned types of discrimination. It could be argued that the prevalence of biases contribute to staff cutbacks as well. There is a mounting concern about dire consequences of workplace harassment. Those workers who are subject to discrimination in the workplace normally are not productive. According Dipboye & Colella (2005), discrimination has a tremendous impact on the psyche. Low self-esteem affects the mood, and a bad mood, in turn, leads to depression and hopelessness. Discriminatory behavior toward a coworker instills anxiety, anger as well as frustration in him. Moreover, certain instances of domestic violence are claimed to be the outcome of race discrimination (Weatherspoon & Isaac, 2011).
As practice shows, elements of discrimination against citizens to some extent exist in any labor market. The prevalence of discrimination depends on the development of social and economic relations of legislative system and, more importantly, the reliability of control over the execution of laws. Discrimination is rather difficult to identify, as the employer who refuses to hire the employee owing to discriminatory reasons, actually does find formal legal reasons for refusal. Labor market discrimination not only adversely affects the employment and its regulation, but discredit state institutions, undermining their credibility. There can be no privileges or restrictions based on race, sex, language, political or religious beliefs, or any other criterion.
References
Dipboye, R. L., & Colella, A. (2005). Discrimination at work: The psychological and organizational bases. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers
Weatherspoon, F. D., & Isaac, K. (2011). Resolving race discrimination in employment disputes through mediation: A win-win for all parties. American Journal of Mediation 111, 5
Welle, B., & Heilman, M.E. (2007). Formal and informal discrimination against women at work. The role of gender stereotypes. In Steiner, D., Gilliland, S. W., & Skarlicki, D. (Eds.). Research in Social Issues in Management: Managing Social and Ethical Issues in Organizations, 5. Westport, CT: Information Age Publishers
