Affirmative Action and Wages

Paper Summary:

This paper examines affirmative action and its impact upon the wage gap found among various groups. While the initiative has met with some success, it is evident that various groups continue to lag behind. The paper looks at the advances that have taken place in recent decades as well as at the areas - mostly in enforcing compliance - where it appears affirmative action is not eliminating workplace discrimination. The paper also suggests that corporate cultures need to change. Finally, it concludes by offering a solution to the enforcement issues plaguing affirmative action in America.

From the Paper:

"Interestingly, just as the different groups of women comprising the female population in America gain from affirmative action at a different rate when it comes to pay increases, some scholars argue that affirmative action really works best in industries that have a high incidence of federal contracts or in industries that, because of their high growth rates, invite more government reviews. In other industries, it appears as though the rate of compliance is not quite so high because the extent of government review and involvement is less significant (Walker, 2000). Evidently, the manner and degree of discrimination can only be sharply reduced through rigorous government oversight; simply having federal legislation in place is insufficient to reduce discrimination if those laws will not be strictly enforced. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Belsky, Gary, & Berger, Susan. (1995). Women could be big losers if affirmative action falls. Money, 24(8): 20-22.
• Carrington, William J., McCue, Kristin, & Brooks, Pierce. (2000). Using establishment size to measure the impact of Title VII and affirmative action. Journal of Human Resources, 35(3): 503-523.
• Ivancevich, J.M. (2000). Diversity management: time for a new approach. Public Personnel Management, 29(1): 75-92.
• Lee, Jennifer. (1998). Cultural brokers: Race-based hiring in inner-city neighborhoods. American Behavioral Scientist, 41(7): 927-937.
• Leonard, Jonathan S. (1996). Wage disparities and affirmative action in the 1980s. American Economic Review, 86(2): 285-289.

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