9781422281321

ing to question some of their work practices and perhaps give up some of their privileges, it will be difficult to create a level playing field for all. Anti-discrimination activists continue to campaign, and as a result, many countries have passed equal opportunities laws. In this book, we will investigate how equal opportunities poli- cies are changing the way in which men and women work in many parts of the world. Equality Through the Law Today, many countries have laws giving equal rights to male and female workers and to particular groups of employees, such as people with disabilities. They also have laws banning racial discrimination in all areas of life, including work and education. Some countries have laws protecting religious minorities from harassment in the workplace and elsewhere. Before the 1960s in the United States, there were few equal opportunities laws because most policy makers thought they were unnecessary. Some thought equal rights was a moral issue that individuals should decide for themselves. Others believed that laws would not work since they could not change peoples’ attitudes. Still others refused to give up old prejudices, saying that equity policies would destroy “traditional ways of life.” Some politicians hoped that discrimination would gradual- ly vanish from the workplace—and the whole of society—as men and women began to work for the same companies, and people from different ethnic groups moved to the same neigh- borhoods. They believed that as different people came to know each other, they would become accepting of each culture and

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Equal Opportunities