CD1-track12

Discrimination

1. What is the lecture mainly about?

A The development of anti-discrimination regulations.

B The disadvantages of anti-discrimination laws.

C The advantages of anti-discrimination laws.

D The development of women’s right to equality.

(A)

2. According to the lecture, what are the main changes since the 1970s? (Click on 3

answers)

A Most jobs became open to ethnic groups.

B The word used to refer to the fireman was changed.

C Women began to be trained together with men in the military.

D Individualism has been reflected in the hiring process.

E Women were allowed to flight in the battlefield like men did.

(A,B,C)

听力原文：

CD1-track12

Discrimination

Let's talk about the pros and cons of discrimination in the USA. I'm sure you are

thinking to yourself why I have included pros and cons in my opening statement.

Aren't there only bad things that result in discrimination? Well, the answer in nost

cases is yes. When we discriminate, a negative outcome usually results. However ,

let's say you are an employer of a business and the goverment has told you that you

must hire a certain number of women or a certain percentage of black and white

people. This would restrain you from hiring , promoting and firing your emplyees,

Okay, let's take a step back and discuss why in some cases individual freedome to

choose or discriminate who will work for you can be a good thing. During the past 40

years , the American goverment has put rules in place to increase the protection of the

environment and groups such minorities, women, workers and consumers. These new

rules have resulted in numerous regulations and new bodiew of law, which in some

cases have resulted in extreme policies like the one I described before about

an employer not being able to select an employee of his or her choice based on sex or

color. As a result, opponents argue that individualism had been lost with these new

laws. On the other side of the ccoin, some anti-discrimination proponents argued

against the traditional division of occupational roles between men and women, These

arguments led to major legal cases, which in turn led to stong requirements to recruit

women for jobs usually held by men such as skilled manual and mechanical work on

construction sites. The U.S. Congress also allowed the entry of women into the

military academies, In fact, a strong effort was made, particularly those directly involved in combat, but also to train women together with men. Another

anti-discriminatory example involves the Department of Justice, which began to

change the rraditional names of specfic jobas from firemen and policemen fo

firefighters and police officers and required local police and fire forces to hire women

police officers and fire fighters. Discriminatory exminations snd tests, in both the

public and private sextors, wer soon abolished and soon every business was toled to

avoid favoring one sexs over another for specific jobs. These new laws resulted in the

progress of equiliby, because most occupations were now open to women and noen

were closed to people of color.