Good Law Essay Example

Diversity in Workplace

Civil Rights in America have long been a crisis and focus of the government. Numbers of laws, bills and legislations were made and passed throughout the decades in an attempt to address this issue. One of the most important is the Civil Rights Act of 1968. The main purpose of the bill is to end the discrimination, the hate and segregation caused by sexism and mainly racism. It was primarily aiming to protect the rights of African-Americans and other races or colors. But provisions were also made to protect rights of different people from different religious backgrounds and different gender (Ellis-Christensen, 2015). During the late 20th century through the early 21st century, after the bill was passed, immense improvement in African-American rights were evident. Segregation of black and white people in educational institutions and public places was progressively reduced. Voting rights of minorities were also protected. But the most significant change happened in the American workplace.
Among the provisions on the bill, one of the sections that surfaced and was well known is “Title VII”. This section concentrated on the elimination of employment discrimination based on sex, religion, race, color, and national origin. And because of this, various opportunities became open especially for the African-Americans. They were given the right to choose which jobs they want to apply for. They were given the right to be employed by different companies and employers and not be prohibited because of their race and color. They were given the right to showcase their talents and skills as needed to advance in their workplace. They were given the right to compete for higher positions and higher paying jobs. The common workplace during those times has already become diverse; A mix of white, black and other colors of people sharing all their ideas and contributing to the company’s growth. People in general have opened their minds that employment discrimination based on race is unjust and really unnecessary.
While the highlight was on the diversity in the workplace based on race and color, there was also a great change in diversity in gender or sex. Before the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was passed, a sudden modification was made and gender was added to the list of classes protected by the act. With this, an equal right for women was established. This gave way for the elimination of gender discrimination particularly in the workforce allowing women to enter the professional world. Although this change in workforce slowly made its way to being conventional, equality in gender is now adamant. Census figures confirm the great increase in woman population in different industries. In 2013, women made up almost 47 percent of the workforce as compared with 29 percent during the late 1900s when the bill was newly passed (Lytle, 2014). Women have made remarkable contributions to the advancement of different industries. Women of the 21st century are seen being leaders in different sectors, companies, public and private establishments. They are given the same opportunities as men to apply their skills and knowledge to be of help in the development and growth of their chosen industries.
Today, aside from employment discrimination against race and gender that was mainly brought by Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1986, several expansions were made to include protection for other people such as disabled and older individuals. Companies, especially the big ones understand that the more diverse the environment, the better productivity and success. Equality and diversity in the workforce has proven to be an efficient and effective platform for each and every company’s growth and victory.

References

Ellis-Christensen, T., & Wallace, O. (2015, January 31). What is the Civil Rights Act of 1964? (with pictures). Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-civil-rights-act-of-1964.htm
LYTLE, T. (2014, May 21). Title VII Changed the Face of the American Workplace. Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/publications/hrmagazine/editorialcontent/2014/0614/pages/0614-civil-rights.aspx
Overview of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/business-and-the-legal-and-ethical-environment/s15-01-overview-of-title-vii-of-the-c.html