Nowadays, discrimination in labor relations is one of the most widespread but not always distinctly identified human rights violations. Prejudice is a multifaceted phenomenon with many diverse manifestations and international scope. Legislation at various levels, from global to local, emphasizes that bias in the field of labor is prohibited. However, practice reveals that its forms do not simply exist – they are widespread and observed at the stage of recruitment and in the workplace. Discrimination must be eliminated because it restricts opportunities, wastes human resources necessary for economic progress, and exacerbates social tensions and inequality.
It is essential to consider differentiating criteria in the process of hiring. These are distinctions in qualifications, skills, opportunities, salary, and attitudes towards employment. Discrimination is likewise a form of differentiation that is recognized as inappropriate from society’s point of view (Kim et al., 2020). Nevertheless, many employers consider gender, nation, race, religion, and political beliefs in their hiring practices, violating equal opportunities and denying civil rights.
Moreover, subjective, and objective grounds cause bias in the labor market. The first grounds include those that depend on the subject who discriminates. In most cases, it can be argued that these preferences are formed under the influence of stereotypes prevailing in society. Objective reasons incorporate those that are independent of the discriminating entity (Kim et al., 2020). In a market economy, to survive in competition and maximize profits, businesses seek to reduce costs to a minimum level. Therefore, employers desire to hire people with lower wages than usual for the same job. More low production costs result in product prices, greater returns to investors, and the firm’s competitiveness.
For example, women are not hired (or paid less) with the justification that they have fewer opportunities than men. Another sample is the increased testing of minorities’ qualifications to prove they do not have the necessary knowledge and fire or transfer them to lower-paying jobs (Kim et al., 2020). Thus, the problem of discrimination in labor relations not only exists but is also widespread and varied in its manifestations. The primary concern is that there is no precise understanding of what discrimination is and what its images are, and most notably, what its harmful effect is. Gender discrimination in employment in the labor market is a concern associated with the shortcomings of legal regulation but with a low level of legal consciousness. Most frequently, it is expressed in the reluctance to hire women. In conditions of temporary economic hardship, employers seek to avoid additional costs, which explains the refusal to hire women who may have young children, requiring other benefits.
Moreover, gender affects the determination of salary levels as women’s wages are lower than those of men in the same position. Some experts call it discriminatory, even the professions that women cannot pursue in some countries (Radey & Schelbe, 2020). Among them is the inability to obtain the occupation of the carpenter, stonemason, and steam locomotive driver, which is one of the most apparent manifestations of stereotypical attitudes toward women. Women should be able to decide where and how they want to work. Moreover, even if one does not consider the list enshrined in the law, society generally accepts several professions as women’s or men’s (Radey & Schelbe, 2020). For example, pilots and bartenders tend to be men, while secretaries and nannies are women. This division occurs when the natural social roles of men and women are mechanically transferred to the workplace.
For many decades, men were hired where physical strength was required, but in today’s reality, women can compete on an equal footing for lucrative jobs. However, human consciousness is complicated to break with gender stereotypes, and men are still preferred in hiring while women are paid less in the same positions. To prevent this from happening, there is a special commissioner – ombudsman for equality in many countries, which helps citizens achieve equality.
It is also essential to note that equality and gender discrimination concerns both men and women. Especially in recent years, men have begun to file lawsuits frequently (Smith & Hunt, 2021). They examine issues about hiring a woman for a position, even though she was more experienced, talented, and professional. One of the first cases involved a male employee who worked as an anesthesia nurse at a large city hospital. When he researched his and his colleagues’ salary data, he found that he was paid lower wages than his female nursing colleagues (Smith & Hunt, 2021). He sued, and as a result of the lawsuit, the court ruled that because this employee was doing the same job as his female colleagues, he was also worthy of a similar salary. Thus, gender discrimination may apply to both genders, but it harms the work environment, pay, and working conditions remains the same.
In addition, racial factors also often create discrimination and unequal working conditions. Those most vulnerable to employment discrimination in Europe include non-EU migrants (Radey & Schelbe, 2020). This includes undocumented migrants, Roma, Muslims, people of African descent, black Europeans, and minority women. Furthermore, in the United States of America, there is discrimination against people of color compared to the white population (Smith, & Hunt, 2021). Of course, this has a detrimental effect on people who do not have the opportunity to use their potential and earn a decent wage. All aspects of discrimination in the workplace interfere with workers’ lives, but at the same time, gender, race, and other forms of discrimination are a privilege for employers.
As a macro-level consequence, there is a decrease in the costs to the producing firm. It is more profitable for an entrepreneur to hire members of discriminated groups to do the same work, paying them lower wages than others (Warren et al., 2019). This reduces labor costs and, consequently, the cost of production, increasing the firm’s profits. Second, the persistence of discrimination can lead to an increase or decrease in the competitiveness of firms. In the short run, the use by firms-producers of labor of discriminated groups leads to a rise in their competitiveness. In the long run, however, the use of such work in production leads the firm to remain at the level of previous technologies, which reduces its competitiveness and, consequently, possibly increases its production costs.
Thus, labor discrimination is the employer’s differential treatment of an employee or a group of employees who differ in a specific socio-demographic characteristic but have the same productivity. The basis for discrimination on the labor market is racial, ethnic, gender, age, and other aspects of the labor force. They directly affect the conditions and remuneration of labor become the cause of limited opportunities on the labor market, which leads to the decrease in the efficiency of the economy of a particular region and the country as a whole. Thus, discrimination in the workplace is a phenomenon that should not exist in the twenty-first century. All individuals should use their potential and work where their personal qualities and competencies allow.
References
Kim, J., Henly, J. R., Golden, L. M., & Lambert, S. J. (2020). Workplace flexibility and worker well‐being by gender. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82(3), 892-910. Web.
Radey, M., & Schelbe, L. (2020). Gender support disparities in a majority-female profession. Social Work Research, 44(2), 123-135. Web.
Smith, R. A., & Hunt, M. O. (2021). White supervisor and subordinate beliefs about black/white inequality: Implications for understanding and reducing workplace racial disparities. Social Problems, 68(3), 720-739. Web.
Warren, M. A., Donaldson, S. I., Lee, J. Y., & Donaldson, S. I. (2019). Reinvigorating research on gender in the workplace using a positive work and organizations perspective. International Journal of Management Reviews, 21(4), 498-518. Web.