Question

3. Suppose a restaurant owner is charged with discrimination because the owner requires that all waitstaff—but not kitchen staff—weigh less than 150 pounds and this requirement has a disparate impact on men. The owner argues that this provision is not discrimination since airlines impose a similar weight restriction on flight attendants but not on pilots (assume this is true).

a) What form of discrimination do you think the restaurant owner is really engaging in: employer, employee, customer or statistical? Briefly explain why you think it is that form.

b) Is there any way a researcher can tell whether it is the form of discrimination you indicated above? Explain how a researcher might try to assess that.

Answer 1

Answer a. The correct option is statistical discrimination.

Explanation: statistical discrimination arises when employer discriminate employee on the baisis of religion, gender or physical appearances and forms a group of minority classes. In the given case, restaurant owner ( employer) discriminate employees in the basis of theri weights and divide the employees into 2 groups that are, kitchen staff and wait staff. He discriminatie waitstaff on the basis of their weight Therefore, we can clearly say that restaurant owner is engaging in statistical discrimination.

Answer b. A researcher might also address this example as statistical because in this type of discrimination, employers take help of statistical analysis and make groups on the basis of characteristics. The group in which number of people are less is considered to be minority. In the given case men are facing more discrimination and became the minority group.