Racial discrimination distinguishes between persons on the basis of identified racial differences while sexual discrimination is an action against an individual that would not have happened had the individual been of another sex. In both, there is argument that sexual and racial discrimination is not good because it violates a person’s moral rights. The minorities are put into a worse situation where they feel that they cannot reach their full potential. They are characterized as people who are in need of very special treatment (Cohn, 2000). Consequently, even those who have skillful talents cannot exploit them fully because they are generally undermined. It is argued that each person has a moral right to be treated as a free individual equal to the other individuals.
Both racial and sexual discrimination share a standard utilitarian argument against their practice. Companies that engage in sexual and racial discrimination will be greatly punished by the market. It is argued that, companies that make their recruitment decisions based on race and sex factors will not be able to compete sufficiently with companies that make their recruitment decisions purely based on profitability. If a company makes such compromises in their recruitment process, they will end up getting substandard employees who can make the company to collapse due to their poor services.
Racial and sexual discrimination should not be exercised as they are considered to be violation of the principle of justice. This is one of the nonutilitarian arguments against sexual and race discrimination. The minorities are given undesirable positions in their offices and are not given opportunities equal to the rest of the people. These actions are unjust and social and economic opportunities should be opened to all people regardless of their sex or race.
In standard utilitarian argument against discrimination, the practice of sexual discrimination will hinder the society’s productivity. If the companies select employees based on gender, there is likelihood that all the employees will be male as the women will be undermined because they are seen not to work as hard as men. The men may not be competent enough to carry out the given work and thus the community and the country at large sustains underproduction in their economic activities (Cohn, 2000). This is because of the high rate of unemployment among the women who are ignored in the job places. Contrary to sexual discrimination, racial discrimination will limit the relationship between the citizens of one country and another. This results to conflict and fights between them and also hinders the development of trading links.
According to the argument against race and sexual discrimination as infringement of individuals’ moral rights, all individuals have a moral duty to be treated as equal regardless of the kind of race. For instance, the whites should not oppress or undermine the blacks because they are minorities, while on the other hand all men and women should be treated equally and exposed to the same opportunities. The women and the young people have moral rights of protection in the society.
Apart from the aforementioned arguments against race and sexual discrimination, there is also another argument which regards this kind of discrimination as a practice of inequality in the community and the world at large. For instance, the whites may regard themselves more equal than the blacks. As a result, the blacks recognize themselves as minorities and fail to reach their potential (Cohn, 2000). Additionally, when men feel more superior to women, it causes harm and negative impact in the society as women cannot venture into new opportunities as they are regarded to be men’s job.
Reference
Cohn, S. (2000). Race and Gender Discrimination at Work. New York: Westview Press
