Equal Opportunity Issues Research Articles

Public Opinion toward Equal Opportunity Issues: The Role of Attitudinal and Demographic Forces among African Americans

This paper explores African American opinion toward equal opportunity issues using a demographic-attitudinal focus. Previous explorations have focused on black-white opinion comparisons. In this analysis, attitudinal forces, particularly core values, are identified as playing an influential role in policy support. Further, these patterns of values tend to reflect those expressed by whites on similar questions: the more individualistic and conservative one is, the less likely one is to support government intervention on African Americans behalf. In responding to questions concerning governmental responsibility, higher SES African Americans express stronger support than do their lower SES counterparts. This finding suggests that those who are experiencing “glass ceilings” are concerned about government guarantees of equal opportunity, despite their individualistic beliefs. This is inconsistent with previous explorations that analyze these beliefs among disadvantaged populations. The implications of social changes in the African American community and the impact of these changes on opinion dynamics are discussed.

‘Race’, equal opportunities policies and employment practice: Reflections on the 1980s, prospects for the 1990s

Abstract This article attempts to take stock of some of the research evidence on ethnic minority employment and equal opportunities issues, gathered by the authors over a period of some ten years. It reviews some of the implications for equal opportunities of major changes in business organisation and employment practice which began in the 1980s. It continues by identifying a number of trends, both of potential benefit and threat to equal opportunities, that appear to characterise the early years of the 1990s. It concludes by suggesting that future developments may usefully focus on the enhanced conceptions of citizenship currently being propounded by the major political parties.

Feminist change in a patriarchal organisation: the experience of women's initiatives in local government and implications for feminist perspectives on state institutions.

Over the last decade the issue of equal opportunities for women has been placed on the agenda of an ever increasing number of British local authorities. More than half of all authorities have now devised policies which fall within the broad field of equal opportunities, whilst a smaller proportion of these have chosen to set up specific structures such as Women's Committees and Equal Opportunities Communities to address equalities issues on a general an on-going basis (Halford 1989a). To varying degrees all these local councils have recognized the implicitly gendered nature of existing policies and practice and appear to have made a commitment to introducing new policies and practices which promote positive alternatives for women . This explicit intervention by certain local governments into the field of gender politics raises some important questions. Most commonly these concern the extent to which feminist social change can be brought about via the institutions of the state. More specifically, how far can Women's Committees and similar initiatives actually bring about changes in the policies and practices of local government? The foundation for these concerns lies with a tradition of feminist analysis which locks state institutions into a broader analysis of gender inequality, and emphasizes the way in which state actions reflect and reinforce the dominance of men and the oppression of women. How then are we to interpret a situation where these very institutions, defined as patriarchal, are apparently pursuing feminist policies?

Universities and ethnic minorities: The public face

Abstract It is commonly assumed that the traditional academic ethic of individual achievement recognises no barriers other than those of merit and ability. As such, equal opportunity issues are often not considered of great relevance for universities. This article presents the findings of recent research into UK universities’ public image in relation to ethnic minorities. Fifty three general undergradute prospectuses were examined determining their textual and visual appeal to ethnic minorities. While the prospectuses on the whole came out well in terms of depicting a multi‐cultural setting, textual analysis revealed less support for the notion that the universities were sensitive to the needs and requirements of potential ethnic minority applicants. Overseas students, however, were frequently catered for within special sections of the prospectuses. It is suggested that the visual multi‐ethnic presence in university prospectuses seems to reflect a wish to attract a lucrative overseas market, rather than a...

Introduction to racial, ethnic, and gender issues in the military: The decade of the 1990s and beyond

The combination of decreased Soviet threat and increasingly complex technology will eventually produce a downsized and streamlined American military poised to face the 21st century. Several possible scenarios are presented about how such changes will influence equal opportunity issues in the military. In one scenario, higher technical job requirements may impede the recruiting of educationally disadvantaged individuals. In another scenario, a possible peace dividend after the Iraqi War will place a greater emphasis upon noncombatant and support roles, which may benefit minorities and women. In a third scenario, combat units may be more permanently based and composed of highly cohesive combat teams, which will require an equal opportunity environment in which individuals of widely differing backgrounds can work together very closely. These scenarios project possible future directions that are currently being built upon the present equal opportunity environment of the American military. The following articles of this special issue examine the various facets and dimensions of equal opportunity in the military as it enters the 1990s.

Assessment of Commitment to Equal Opportunity Goals in the Military

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to contrast two methods of assessing commitment to equal opportunity (EO) goals. Students training at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) to be military EO advisors were the subjects of the study. The validity and reliability of DEOMI's measure of EO commitment, the Interpersonal Skills Development Evaluation (ISDE), were assessed. Slides were used to present cue words associated with various categories, including EO issues (e.g., discrimination and racism), to the DEOMI students. The students rated their association of these cue words with their current concerns and the emotional arousal evoked (two variables related to goal commitment; cf. Klinger, 1988). Students were then asked to recall as many of these words as they could. Although the ratings and the free-recall scores for the EO words were correlated with each other (support for the word-rating approach to measuring EO commitment), they were not significantly correlated with students' I...

New vocationalism, old racism and the careers service

Abstract This article examines the implications of the ‘new vocationalism’ in education for local authority careers services and their work with ethnic minority clients. The growth in importance of the Careers Service in the youth labour market over the 1980s has enhanced its centrality to equal opportunity issues. From an initial ‘colour blindness’ the service has moved to more of a ‘multicultural’ awareness. However, research has shown that there remains a lack of readiness to tackle employers who infringe the Race Relations Act. Paradoxically, the recognition of the necessity of an anti‐racist rather than a multi‐cultural stance has come at a time when new pressures have been added against anti‐racism: government warnings to careers staff to service the needs of employers, a new market emphasis in the local arrangements for vocational training, and an assault on equal opportunity and anti‐racist action elsewhere in the local authority through the Local Government Act and Education Reform Act. In this c...

Equal Opportunity Issues in the Context of the National Curriculum: a black perspective

abstract This article examines the context and content of the National Curriculum documentation published so far within the framework of educational debates on the education of black children (black referring to non‐white). In particular it focuses on the interpretation of equal opportunities, the proposed strategies for implementation within the National Curriculum, and the prospects for success because of the other changes brought about by the 1988 Education Reform Act (ERA). The main conclusion is that in some respects more appears to have been achieved than would have seemed possible in the early stages of the debates relating to ERA; on the other hand, there is a probability that an education system that provides true equal opportunities for groups and individuals currently being denied that will remain more of a hope than a reality. The article concludes that equality of opportunity is still a long way off, especially from a black perspective.

The 1978 Civil Service Reform and Federal Equal Employment Opportunity

The issue of federal equal employment opportunity (EEO) is explored by examining employment trends for blacks and women in middle- and higher-level positions and looking for possible impacts of elements of the 1978 civil service reform designed to advance EEO. Using an interrupted time-series multiple-regression model, the rate of increase in black employment was found to decline slightly following the reform. For women, however, long-term employment trends in the middle-level grades that were examined appear unchanged, whereas the employment rate in higher grades increased following the 1978 reform.

Attitude problem

I am deeply concerned at the Southampton & South West Hampshire Health Authority’s I attitude towards training toward equal opportunity issues for its staff. I am a nursing auxiliary working on a geriatric ward for two years.

Action on equal opportunities in inner cities: The need for a policy commitment

Abstract In March 1988, the Government gave a new impetus to inner city policy. This did not, however, include any detailed assessment of equal opportunity issues. This paper focusses on employment, vocational training and the stimulation of business enterprise and argues the case for a co‐ordinated equal opportunities programme. The argument is made that this must include the effective monitoring of recruitment and promotion, the setting of equality objectives and the representation of ethnic minorities themselves on advisory bodies. Particular attention is given to young people and the development of ethnic business.

Equal Opportunities: How to Change and Which Change?

The issue of equal opportunities needs to be integrated into personnel management. In the absence of effective outside pressure or pressure from within, the establishment sees no reason to alter the status quo. Arguments of profitability and better use of women's potential may bring about this change. The process of change needed in the largest Belgian bank before an action programme in the sense of the introduction of specific measures could be implemented is described. The research project that led to the actions and the bank culture that needed to be changed are outlined as well as the phases of the study, the resultant change and results.

An Experiential Exercise Involving Equal Employment Opportunity and Performance Appraisal Issues

An Experiential Exercise Involving Equal Employment Opportunity and Performance Appraisal Issues

Risk Capital, Equal Opportunity, and Urban Issues

Hypotheses are put forward about the operating principles of major private-sector institutions, and the consequences of their policies in urban areas are illustrated by a discussion of the building societies. Some specific points are noted from studies of building society activity in Leeds. It is then argued that there may be a potential conflict between principles of equal opportunity now being accorded increasing recognition by governments and the principles by which risk capital is managed in the mixed economy. The ways in which governments come to terms with this conflict may be important for urban change, urban politics, and patterns of relative welfare in cities.

Equal Employment Opportunity Issues in Training

Equal employment opportunity and federal regulation of personnel selection have had a major impact on research and application in that field. Federal guidelines have broadened the definition of selection to include all employment decisions. Federal court decisions have begun to include applications to training. Thus, fair employment issues in training need to be considered in requiring training as a prerequisite to employment, in selection for training, in the training process itself, in decisions about retention and advancement in training programs, in job placement following training, and in decisions about promotion, advancement, or extra compensation as an outcome of training. It is urged that professional standards be developed by training professionals rather than wait for federal agenices to develop standards which may not be compatible with the best professional goals.