Equal Employment Opportunity Act

In 1972, the government attempting to correct discrimination in the

workplace passed the Equal Employment Opportunity Act. This act

protects individual rights and promotes employment opportunities and

fairness for everyone within the workplace (Klingner & Nalbandian, 1998,

p. 158). This act should have eliminated gender bias and pay

inequities, but has it accomplished its goal? Are employment

opportunities and promotion opportunities fair and equal to everyone?

Does gender bias and pay inequities still exist in 2000, 28 years after

the passage of the act? In researching this topic, I do find that

gender bias and pay inequities are still prevalent in today 's work

world. Because there are so many women and minorities in the workforce
7).

Jobs are ranked by employers and employees differently. Employers rank

them according to skills and commitment and employees rank them

according to desirability and rewards (Maume, 1999, p. 3). One would

think this process would be fair to everyone but, in many organizations

there appears to be double standards to judge men and women. Women most

often have to measure up to higher standards than men do to obtain the

position (Hale, 1999, p. 8).

Are employment opportunities and promotional opportunities equal to both

men and women? No. Reskin and Roos conclude that women can move into

"male" jobs "either because market conditions force employers to reach

down into the labor queue to hire women, or because men reevaluate and

vacate jobs, thereby creating openings for women (Maume, 1999, p. 3)."

Women are traditionally segregated into specific jobs; thereby leaving

men in their on world to compete with each other for higher paid jobs

(Maume, 1999, p. 3). Men traditional have higher status contacts than

women which also help them to maintain their positions (McGuire, 2000,

p. 2).

Glass Ceilings, Glass Walls and Glass
"Public administration graduate programs should more actively

strive to strengthen equal-opportunity learning environments by exposing

students to the way gender affects their work-lives and by better

preparing students to face and overcome gender-based inequalities in

organizations (Hale, 1999, p. 16)." The goal of educators should be to

continually improve society. Many times schools have failed to

recognize this purpose (Miller, 1965, p. 7).

Valuing differences in employees creates synergy and the key to valuing

these differences is to realize that all people see the world as they

see themselves (Covey, 1989, p. 277). This makes the job of equality

and pay equity so difficult. Men believe that it is easier to work with

men and that men do a better job and therefore deserve more money.

Their pride and egos tell them that women cannot do the job as well as

they can. These personal beliefs must be changed. Pairing men and

women together on teams will expand the male mindset and hopefully help

them realize that females and minorities are as equally