The purpose of this research is to review the status of employer compliance with affirmative action goals. Providing equal opportunity to minority groups withn a society is more a social issue than it is a legal issue. Requirements for equality may be legislated, and those requirements may be enforced with some degree of effectiveness. Real equality of opportunity will not occur, however, until such time as the great majority of individuals and organizations within a society voluntarily behave in a socially responsible manner.
BACKGROUND ON EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Income distribution objectives, laws prohibiting social discrimination, and, in some instances, policies intended to rectify the effects of past discriminationaffirmative action goalshave all become a part of "the rules of the game" for American business.
Social responsibility is imposed on business and industry in the interest area of employment discrimination in the con texts of hiring, promotion, retention, and compensation. The regulation of business and industry in these contexts is intended to eliminate overt discrimination on the basis of gender, racial or ethnic background, religious preference, or age,
1 2and, in many instances, as stated above, such regulation is also intended to rectify the effects of past discrimination based upon these same characteristics. In practice, the greatest emphasis is placed on discrimination which is based either on sex or on racial or ethnic background.
In theory, government regulation designed to eliminate employment discrimination should have no adverse impacts on business and industry, for, in theory, discrimination between individuals in relation to hiring, promotion, retention, and compensation would be based only up...