Barriers to Equality: The Power of Subtle Discrimination to Maintain Unequal Opportunity
Note: This article was also reprinted in Social Ethics: Morality and Social Policy, 4th ed., edited by Thomas A. Mappes and Jane S. Zambaty. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Language: | en_US |
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Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal
2024
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155957 |
| _version_ | 1811069841741709312 |
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| author | Rowe, Mary P. |
| author_facet | Rowe, Mary P. |
| author_sort | Rowe, Mary P. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Note: This article was also reprinted in Social Ethics: Morality and Social Policy, 4th ed., edited by Thomas A. Mappes and Jane S. Zambaty. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:17:45Z |
| format | Preprint |
| id | mit-1721.1/155957 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T08:17:45Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1559572024-08-08T03:58:46Z Barriers to Equality: The Power of Subtle Discrimination to Maintain Unequal Opportunity Rowe, Mary P. subtle discrimination; micro-inequities; harassment; occupational segregation; glass ceiling; inequality; racism; sexism Note: This article was also reprinted in Social Ethics: Morality and Social Policy, 4th ed., edited by Thomas A. Mappes and Jane S. Zambaty. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992. This paper argues that subtle discrimination is now the principal scaffolding for segregation in the United States. The author suggests this scaffolding is built of "micro-inequities": apparently small events which are often ephemeral and hard to prove, events which are covert, often unintentional, frequently unrecognized by the perpetrator. Micro-inequities occur wherever people are perceived to be "different": Caucasians in a Japanese-owned company, African-Americans in a predominantly white firm, women in a traditionally male environment, Jews and Moslems in a traditionally Protestant environment. These mechanisms of prejudice against persons of difference are usually small in nature, but not trivial in effect. They are especially powerful taken together. (As one drop of water has little effect, though continuous drops may be destructive, one racist slight may be insignificant but many such slights cause serious damage.) Micro-inequities work both by excluding the person of difference and by making that person less self-confident and less productive. An employer may prevent such damage by developing programs on diversity, like "valuing differences" and team-building. The author does not believe micro-inequities should be made the subject of anti-discrimination legislation. 2024-08-07T19:44:59Z 2024-08-07T19:44:59Z 1990-06 Preprint https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155957 Mary P. Rowe, “Barriers to Equality: The Power of Subtle Discrimination to Maintain Unequal Opportunity,” Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal 3, No. 2 (June 1990): 153-163. en_US application/pdf Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal |
| spellingShingle | subtle discrimination; micro-inequities; harassment; occupational segregation; glass ceiling; inequality; racism; sexism Rowe, Mary P. Barriers to Equality: The Power of Subtle Discrimination to Maintain Unequal Opportunity |
| title | Barriers to Equality: The Power of Subtle Discrimination to Maintain Unequal Opportunity |
| title_full | Barriers to Equality: The Power of Subtle Discrimination to Maintain Unequal Opportunity |
| title_fullStr | Barriers to Equality: The Power of Subtle Discrimination to Maintain Unequal Opportunity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Barriers to Equality: The Power of Subtle Discrimination to Maintain Unequal Opportunity |
| title_short | Barriers to Equality: The Power of Subtle Discrimination to Maintain Unequal Opportunity |
| title_sort | barriers to equality the power of subtle discrimination to maintain unequal opportunity |
| topic | subtle discrimination; micro-inequities; harassment; occupational segregation; glass ceiling; inequality; racism; sexism |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/155957 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rowemaryp barrierstoequalitythepowerofsubtlediscriminationtomaintainunequalopportunity |