3B Formal Presentation

GROUP 8 - Discrimination in the Workplace

I. Introduction
Reasons for our team to choose this topic:
- This is a hot issue that deserves attention.
- One day, we will also become employees, and prior research will help us know how
to deal with this problem.
II. Body:
1. Definition
- Workplace discrimination is the unfair treatment among employees based on specific
factors such as race, ethnicity, national origin, etc.
- However, the three main types of it are gender, age, and racial discrimination.

2. Gender Discrimination
- The unequal treatment of someone based on that person's gender or we can call
it “sexism”.
- The victims of it can be overlooked for promotion despite their enormous
dedication to the company. According to The Balance Career, in 1990 only 6
women were on the Fortune 500 list of CEOs, in 2017 the number was 32 but
they only account for less than 7% of the list.
- Moreover, Esteban from Our World Data organization states that in most
countries, there is a gap between men’s and women’s income. To be more
precise, female workers often earn less than male ones and the gap can be
divergent among nations.
- In addition, sex jokes or harassment also fall under the umbrella of sexism. We
often say there is only a thin line between discourtesy and hilarity so be tactful
and never cross the line.

3. Age Discrimination
- Following “The Encyclopedia of Adulthood and Aging” by Zacher & Steinvik,
workplace age discrimination involves employees being disadvantaged or treated
unfairly on the basis of their age or membership in a certain age group.
- It can occur in the form of negative evaluation, unfair recruitment, personnel
selection, and promotion decisions.
- For instance, even though we are only freshmen, I know that many of us may
have started working part-time. However, due to our young age, we are easily
susceptible to workplace discrimination, such as being questioned about our
professional qualifications or responsibilities with the job.

4. Racial Discrimination
- Retrieved from the book - The Sociology of Discrimination, racial
discrimination refers to unequal treatment of persons or groups on the basis of
their race or ethnicity.
- Recognitions of it are:
● Equal qualifications but unequal work distribution.
● Superiors bias against some racial groups.
● Suffering from interpersonal discrimination.

5. What young employees can do to deal with discrimination:

- Remember to stay calm. To advance a discrimination claim, it is crucial to
remove the emotional elements and focus on specific issues, facts, and details.
- Make a record of the offensive actions. Keep a journal of discriminatory
behavior.
- Report the discrimination. If the offending behavior persists, report it to your
company’s management. When employers receive a discrimination complaint,
they are obligated by law to investigate it on time.
- Get outside help to protect your rights. If you’re being discriminated against and
your employer is unresponsive or has retaliated against you, it’s time to contact
an attorney or a competent authority.
 6. Review the film “Hidden figures”?
“Hidden figures” is an excellent American drama film based on true stories.
Furthermore, the film contains most types of workplace discrimination.

IIII. Conclusion:
Now, we have figured out what is workplace discrimination, the main types, and solutions for it. I
would like to say: never discriminate against someone for whatever reason.

Visual-auditory material:
Hidden Figures 2016 - bathroom Scene. (2018). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ZlTgo2AavzE

References:
● Pager, Devah, and Hana Shepherd. (2008). The Sociology of Discrimination:
Racial Discrimination in Employment, Housing, Credit, and Consumer
Markets. Annual Review of Sociology 34:181-209.
● Scheidt, Rick. (2016). The Encyclopedia of Adulthood and Aging. New Jersey:
Wiley-Blackwell.
● Paychex WORX. (2019, January 08). Employment and Discrimination:
Exploring the Climate of Workplace Discrimination from 1997 to 2018.
Retrieved from https://www.paychex.com/articles/human-resources/eeoc-
workplace-discriminationenforcement-and-litigation
● U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2021, February 26). EEOC
Releases Fiscal Year 2020 Enforcement and Litigation Data. Retrieved from
https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeoc-releases-fiscal-year-2020-enforcement-
andlitigation-data
● Bunch, C. (1990). Women’s Rights as Human Rights: Toward a Re-Vision of
Human Rights. Human Rights Quarterly, 12(4), 486–498.
https://doi.org/10.2307/762496
● Lahle Wolfe. (2020). Gender and Sex Discrimination in the Workplace.
Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/gender-sex-discrimination-
examples-3515723
● Esteban, M. (2018) - "Economic inequality by gender". Retrieved from
https://ourworldindata.org/economic-inequality-by-gender
● Sterling Employment Law. (2017, August 10). First steps to take if you are being
discriminated against. Retrieved from
https://www.sterlingattorneys.com/blog/2017/08/first-steps-to-take-if-you-are-
beingdiscriminated-against/