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CHAPTER 14
Human Relations in a World of Diversity
Learning Objective
After studying this chapter, students will be able to:
2. Explain how prejudiced attitudes pose a challenge to human relations.
4. List types of discrimination.
6. Describe the connections among prejudice, discrimination, and self-esteem.
7. Give examples of how to decrease prejudice.
Key Terms
Ageism: Prejudice and discrimination toward older people.
Bias: A tendency to judge people before knowing them, basing the judgment only on
their membership in some group or category of people.
Cognitive categorization: A process in which the mind quickly sorts information into
categories to function efficiently.
Discrimination: Your behavior, or what you do (or intend to do, or are inclined to do) as
a result of your stereotypes and prejudice.
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Ethnocentrism: The belief that one’s ethnic group is more normal than others; an
emotional source of prejudice because of people’s gut-level feelings about how right their
group is—and, in turn, how wrong they think other groups are.
Institutional prejudice: Prejudice that is caused by policies in the workplace that are not
intentionally set to exclude members of specific groups or to treat them differently, but
which have that effect anyway.
Interdependence: A relationship in which members of different groups not only must
cooperate but also must depend on each other to reach common goals.
Prejudice: How you feel as a result of the stereotypes you believe in.
Proximity: Physical closeness; here, it refers to contact between members of a diverse
workplace.
Racism: Prejudice and discrimination based on race.
Stereotypes: Your thoughts or beliefs about specific groups of people.
Lecture Outline
I. A Diverse Society
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As the 21st century unfolds, many Americans will experience growing diversity in the
workplace, with older employees, women, minorities and immigrants entering the
workforce in greater numbers than in the previous century. Major demographic factors
such as slower population growth, greater workforce participation of baby boomers, the
declining workforce participation rate among workers in the 25-to-54 age group, and the
declining workforce participation rates for teenagers and young adults have changed the
employment picture considerably since the 1950s. Some workplace trends that the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected include:
• Women will continue to enter the labor force at a faster pace than men.
• The proportion of older employees will increase.
People with disabilities are more visible in the workplace today, as are people with
diverse religious beliefs. All people will need to take a close look at the prejudices they
learned, both actively and unconsciously, growing up.
Besides examining prejudices, everyone needs a knowledge base. People need to know
about different cultural biases, customs, and expectations of the diverse groups they will
likely be working with.
It is not unusual now to find companies that have regular diversity training programs,
workshops, and other resources for their employees. Many companies have made a
II. Prejudiced Attitudes
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Prejudice is one type of attitude. All attitudes have three parts—what people think, feel,
and do. Like other attitudes, prejudice is composed of three parts. Stereotypes are
people’s thoughts or beliefs about specific groups of people. Prejudice is how people
feel as a result of those thoughts or beliefs. Discrimination is people’s behavior, or what
people do (or intend to do, or are inclined to do) as a result of their stereotypes and
prejudice.
A. Stereotype
A stereotype is a thought or belief about members of a given group. That belief may
be positive, negative, or neutral; and it is usually oversimplified, exaggerated, and/or
overgeneralized. Stereotypes hurt minorities, women, men, and members of other
B. Prejudice
Prejudice sums up the negative feelings or evaluations about people and groups that
are stereotyped. Prejudice causes bias, which is a tendency to judge people before you
know them, basing the judgment only on their membership in some group or category
of people. Bias can be negative or positive; that is, people may lean toward or favor a
person or group, or lean away from or disfavor a person or a group.
C. Discrimination
Prejudice is a feeling; discrimination is an act. Not all feelings of prejudice result in
acts of discrimination, but individual acts of discrimination usually come from
prejudiced feelings.
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McGraw-Hill Education.
A step toward eliminating discrimination in the workplace came with the passing of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act was amended in 1972. In that year,
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was established to
monitor these laws.
III. Origins of Prejudice
The origins of prejudice can be divided into three broad categories—social causes,
cognitive (thinking) causes, and emotional causes.
A. Social Causes of Prejudice
Many theories have been put forth about how social factors cause prejudice. One
theory is that people form prejudices to try to raise their self-esteem. It’s easier for
people to feel superior when they are able to identify other groups of people as
inferior.
B. Cognitive Causes of Prejudice
Cognitive causes have to do with thinking and reasoning processes. Some
psychologists believe that prejudice originates with a process called cognitive
categorization, in which the mind quickly sorts information into categories to
function efficiently. Cognitive categorization is generally a necessary skill. The
problem is that cognitive categorization allows people to categorize others quickly,
and this can lead to prejudice.
C. Emotional Causes of Prejudice
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Ethnocentrism is the cause of a great deal of prejudice that people experience.
Human beings tend to see their own ethnic groups as the most normal, and they
believe their way of seeing and doing things is the right way. Most societies are
IV. Types of Discrimination
A. Racism
Racism, which is prejudice and discrimination based on race, is one of today’s most
important social topics. Minorities in the United States still experience widespread
discrimination and prejudice. Genocide, which is the systematic murder of an entire
racial, ethnic, or national group, continues around the world. In the 1990s, genocide
occurred in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. In the 2000s, the location was Darfur
when in 2004 the U.S. government declared genocide to be occurring in this area of
the Sudan.
B. Economic Prejudice
Economic prejudice, which can be defined as the struggle and resentment between
the haves and the have-nots is an ancient and often ugly battle. The American
Revolution in 1776, the Russian Revolution in 1917, and India’s independence from
Britain in 1947 are a few historical examples.
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One of the theories of prejudice is that competition leads to frustration and aggression.
In the U.S., when economic times are hard, prejudice can focus on groups—often
C. Sexism
The term male chauvinism was coined during the 1960s to describe a feeling of male
superiority over females that is quite similar to ethnocentrism. This is also known as
sexism. Sexism is very similar to ethnocentrism. Because a man may have attitudes
and stereotypes of women in society, he may choose to see them as being of less
worth—in other words, he dehumanizes women.
Workplace Conditions for Women
Although women find it possible to be promoted to the supervisory level (the
lowest level of management), many report great difficulty in getting into middle-
and upper-level management, where the major decisions are made. One reason may
be that women are perceived by men as not being able to handle power when they
get it.
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The Fast Track versus the Mommy Track
Another problem women often face in the workplace is being expected to choose
between the fast track and the mommy track when climbing the career ladder. In the
fast track, employees are expected to work extra hours, ask for extra work, and
work nights and weekends.
What happens in the mommy track is just the opposite. When women try to balance
family responsibilities with work responsibilities, they receive fewer promotions or
raises, and are often stuck in low-wage jobs. What most women want (and what
many employers are slow to give) is a compromise—a job that offers satisfying
work and a chance for advancement, with enough flexibility to allow for raising a
D. Overweight People
During the past few decades, with the national emphasis on dieting and fitness, the
overweight person has increasingly become the target of prejudice. However, court
cases over the past decade have ruled against this type of prejudice, at least where
hiring and firing are the issues. It’s a fairly common, though unfounded, belief that
overweight people are to blame for most high health-care costs. This issue is likely to
emerge more often in years to come.
E. Homosexuals
The controversy about homosexuality revolves around two questions:
• The first is whether homosexuality is a freely chosen lifestyle or is it genetically
determined (and therefore not a choice).
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• The second is whether homosexuality should be protected from institutional and
other types of discrimination in the same way that categories of gender, race,
religion, and national origin are.
There is no reason to believe that homosexuals (or heterosexuals) do their jobs any
better or worse than anyone else. Nonetheless, if a workplace becomes a battlefield
over the issue, everyone’s work performance is affected.
Many current employment policies forbid discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation or sexual preference. A number of states, counties, and cities have passed
F. The Elderly
Until 1967 no law protected older people from discrimination. Many employers
justified discrimination on the grounds that older people are slower and less healthy,
and therefore do not perform as well as younger employees. In 1986, President Reagan
signed an amendment to the 1967 law, making it illegal to discriminate against anyone
over 40. Specifically, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects
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G. People with Disabilities
The greatest barrier to the hiring of people with physical or developmental disabilities
is prejudiced attitudes that are based on largely inaccurate information. Employees
who are disabled are protected by law from discrimination, originally under the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. That law was never greatly effective because the courts
kept struggling with the definitions of handicapped and disabled. The remedy to this
H. Religious Groups
The EEOC reports a steady increase in complaints based on religion. In the fiscal year
2012, the number of charges of religious discrimination was 3,811, with $9.9 million
in monetary benefits recovered.
The facts show that members of religious groups often find themselves the objects of
discrimination both at work and in social circles. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of
I. Pregnant Women
The issue of pregnancy is being reexamined in an increasing number of workplaces.
Through the 1970s a female job applicant was routinely asked if she was pregnant or
planning to become pregnant, and what her employment, child care, and other plans
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V. Sexual Harassment
The phrase sexual harassment was coined by Lin Farley, author of Sexual Shakedown,
in the late 1970s. Sexual harassment is spelled out clearly by EEOC guidelines:
“Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical
conduct of a sexual nature…”
The problem of sexual harassment in the workplace goes back to the time when men and
women first started working together, but people like Farley have called attention to this
Sexual harassment is not limited to male supervisors harassing female employees; anyone
can become a victim of sexual harassment. While fewer reports are filed by men, sexual
harassment can occur between people of either—or even the same—sex.
VI. Prejudice, Discrimination, and Self-Esteem
A general observation about extremely prejudiced people is that they may suffer from
low levels of self-esteem. In contrast, tolerant people may tend to feel more comfortable
with who they are and have little trouble accepting the basic humanity of others.
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In his classic 1954 book The Nature of Prejudice, Gordon Allport stated that the effects
of being victimized by discrimination fall into two basic categories:
• The first category is blaming oneself, which can be seen in withdrawal, self-hatred,
or aggression against one’s own group.
VII. Looking Ahead
Prejudging others seems to be inevitable. When a member of a group acts in the way
people expect, their stereotype is confirmed. When the person acts differently from the
way people expect, they may decide that the person is the exception to the rule. These
negative ideas are hard to get rid of. But, some negative feelings and behaviors can be
permanently eliminated.
A key ingredient for people to begin to understand and appreciate members of other
groups is contact; communication as a result of contact is crucial to understanding others.
A third important ingredient in reducing prejudice and discrimination is cooperation
instead of competition among members of “different” groups. Psychologists have
discovered that when members of different groups not only cooperate but also depend on
each other to reach common goals—also known as interdependence—conflict is greatly
reduced.
Chapter 14 Human Relations in a World of Diversity
Review Questions
1. What are the three components of an attitude? Describe the three components of a
prejudiced attitude.
Answer: All attitudes have three parts—what people think, feel, and do.
The three components of a prejudiced attitude are:
2. What individuals and groups can you think of who are likely targets of prejudice and
discrimination? Do you fit into any of these groups that are likely targets? Have you
ever found yourself a target of prejudice or discrimination as a member of this
group? Explain.
3. Discuss some of the sources of prejudice. Within these sources, can you think of a
particular prejudice that you have and how it arose? Explain your personal example.
Answer: Students’ answers will vary. Some sources of prejudice are:
• Social Causes—one theory is that people form prejudices to try to raise their
own self-esteem, such as when climbing the career or social ladder. Another
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4. Discuss the negative effects of discrimination in the workplace, both on the
individual and on the business organization. Have you seen any discriminatory acts
occurring in your workplace? Explain.
5. Describe steps that can be taken in the workplace to reduce or prevent sexual
harassment.
6. How is institutional racism or institutional sexism different from open racism or
sexism?
7. What is meant by the term self-fulfilling prophecy? Think of an example in your life
or someone else’s where a self-fulfilling prophecy (either positive or negative) arose.
Explain your personal example.
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8. What are some of the common myths about people with disabilities in the
workplace? What is being done to protect employment for this group?
Answer: Some common myths about disabled people are that they are unreliable;
they can’t do very many jobs, and they will make other employees feel
uncomfortable.
Critical Thinking Questions
9. Under what circumstances is it acceptable to treat co-workers or employees
differently because of their differences? Should you be blind to differences between
co-workers or employees, or recognize them openly?
10. People today talk a lot about “tolerance.” Is there a difference between tolerance and
acceptance of differences, whether they are cultural, gender-related, religious, or
other? Explain the differences.
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Case Studies
Case Study 14.1: It’s None of Your Business
A professor with a Ph.D. was interviewing for a research job at a university in California.
The interviewer persisted with questions that were not permissible under the prevention
of discrimination in the Civil Rights act. The questions probe personal details covering
age and marital status to future plans on parenthood.
Questions
1. Thinking about the questions, if you were considering hiring someone and wanted to
be sure that you were hiring a reliable employee, these are things you might want to
know as well. So, why can’t you ask these questions? What is inherently wrong with
wanting to know these things about a potential employee—why is it illegal, when not
directly related to job tasks?
2. Using the skills you have learned in previous chapters and the information you have
learned in this chapter, what would you have said to this interviewer during the
interview, in order to end these personal questions?
3. Let’s say the interviewer continued this line of personal questions, even after you
said something. The interview ended, and you were not hired. Would you have taken
further action? Explain.
Chapter 14 Human Relations in a World of Diversity
Case Study 14.2: Two Against One
Julia Sandoval and Kathy O’Donnell, two employees in a small software design company
were hateful of the department secretary, Miranda Kirkpatrick, which they claim was due
to Miranda’s boastfulness. Elena Aguilar-Trujillo, who managed her eight employees as
the department director, observes that the resentment can be traced to the fact that
Miranda, with a successful businessman husband, was financially better off than her two
complaining employees. She decides to discuss the issue with the two.
Questions
1. What type of prejudice is being illustrated here? What is it based on?
2. If Elena did decide to fire Miranda in order to keep the peace within the department,
what legal recourse would Miranda have, if any? Explain.
3. Let’s say you have been called in as a mediator to settle this interdepartmental
conflict. What steps will you take? What will these steps be based on?