Education Requirements
One of the easiest ways to keep certain workers in their so-called places is to use education as a qualifier for certain positions—whether or not an advanced degree has anything to do with a person’s ability to perform a job and to be successful. Just look in the classified ads section of the newspaper or perform a job search on a site like Monster.com. Isn’t it amazing how many administrative assistant positions or other low-level or entry level jobs now require a Bachelor’s degree, when for decades they often did not?
In the past, Black workers primarily represented the laborers or we represented the administrative staff at many companies. Historically, many Blacks and other minorities have been denied promotions or have been told we could not transfer into other jobs because we lacked a college degree. Despite this, some Blacks have been able to rise to the level of mid-level management. But, fewer have been able to actually rise to the high-level or executive branches at their companies.
In order to keep the workplace haves as the haves and the have-nots as the have-nots, some supervisors, managers or companies—as a whole—have played the education card to their full advantage. Using education as a justification for refusing to hire, promote, transfer, etc. certain employees is a pretty good bet for a racist supervisor, manager or a company—as a whole—to wager. How many applicants or employees are actually going to officially or legally challenge a workplace claim that they are unqualified for a job because they lack a college degree or an advanced degree?
Furthermore, how many applicants or employees will challenge a claim that they do not have the “right” degree? Yes, there are people who aren’t promoted or hired because they don’t have a Master’s degree…“only” a Bachelor’s. That’s the new workplace game. It involves pushing the education envelope to the point that a Bachelor’s degree is now the basic equivalent of a G.E.D. A Master’s degree is the new Bachelor’s degree (and the minimum required to stay competitive at an ever increasing number of companies). The Ph.D. is the real prize these days. Again, how many workers are going to challenge an employer’s claim that they must have a Master’s degree in order to be promoted or hired for a certain job?
As I’ve written before, I believe the reason for the shift had to do with the fact that more and more Blacks (and Hispanic/Latinos) began to receive college degrees. So, over the years, the ability to stifle certain employees based on education requirements became less effective. And, as a result of increased education by many more minorities, competition during the hiring and promotion process began to become a bit more vigorous. It became tougher to justify why minorities weren’t being placed in certain jobs. The education excuse was watered down to a certain degree. But, that hasn’t stopped some employers from trying, hence the shift in the types of desired degrees for applicants and employees.
Now, I would never argue that employers shouldn’t want the most educated employees they can find. But, the fact of the matter is, many jobs don’t require a college degree. And, anyone who’s spent any amount of time in the workplace can tell you that some of the worst employees have the best education. Receiving a degree (pick a subject) doesn’t give you common sense, doesn’t mean you can work well in teams or lead a team, doesn’t mean you can communicate well (verbally or in writing), doesn't mean you won't violate employment law, and it doesn’t mean you are strategic, forward thinking, a quick learner, etc.
Having a degree doesn’t even mean that you’re extremely knowledgeable in your field—if you were a poor to mediocre student, cheated your way through college or are working outside your area of study. But, as I’ve stated, almost every job these days—no matter how menial or entry level—is requiring a college education. As I was reading up on race and color under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, I came across this:
Educational requirements obviously may be important for certain jobs. For example, graduation from medical school is required to practice medicine. However, employers often impose educational requirements out of their own sense of desirable qualifications. Such requirements may run afoul of Title VII if they have a disparate impact and exceed what is needed to perform the job.
As the Supreme Court stated in one of its earliest interpretations of Title VII: “History is filled with examples of men and women who rendered highly effective performance without the conventional badges of accomplishment in terms of certificates, diplomas, or degrees. Diplomas and tests are useful servants, but Congress has mandated the commonsense proposition that they are not to become masters of reality.”
And, that's where I stand on the issue. Diplomas shouldn't dictate reality or a person's opportunities in the workplace--not without a LEGITIMATE reason. If your supervisor, manager or other authority at your job is seeking to block your desired career path, deny you a promotion, etc. based on education requirements, please keep in mind that those requirements can be challenged! Two questions you can ask about education requirements are:
1. Is the requirement for a degree out of a business necessity? A business necessity is a practice necessary for safe and efficient organizational operation. For example, an employer can require that an employee have a high school diploma, but that employer must also be able to prove that this is essential to performing the job. Is there some essential element related to a degree that legitimately prevents you from being hired for a specific job, being promoted, being transferred, etc.?
2. Is the requirement for a degree based on job-related factors? Job-relatedness deals with the skills or other qualities that employers say are a requirement for a job. For instance, an employer can legitimately argue that applicants pass a math test in order to get a job working as a cashier because math skills are a job-related necessity for succeeding in that position. Based on the job you are applying for, seeking a promotion for, requesting a transfer to, etc…is their a job-related reason for requiring a degree? Is there a skill gained or other quality only obtained through earning a degree in a specific field (vs. actual experience, for example)? Would the lack of degree automatically prevent you from doing this specific job?
In the past, Black workers primarily represented the laborers or we represented the administrative staff at many companies. Historically, many Blacks and other minorities have been denied promotions or have been told we could not transfer into other jobs because we lacked a college degree. Despite this, some Blacks have been able to rise to the level of mid-level management. But, fewer have been able to actually rise to the high-level or executive branches at their companies.
In order to keep the workplace haves as the haves and the have-nots as the have-nots, some supervisors, managers or companies—as a whole—have played the education card to their full advantage. Using education as a justification for refusing to hire, promote, transfer, etc. certain employees is a pretty good bet for a racist supervisor, manager or a company—as a whole—to wager. How many applicants or employees are actually going to officially or legally challenge a workplace claim that they are unqualified for a job because they lack a college degree or an advanced degree?
Furthermore, how many applicants or employees will challenge a claim that they do not have the “right” degree? Yes, there are people who aren’t promoted or hired because they don’t have a Master’s degree…“only” a Bachelor’s. That’s the new workplace game. It involves pushing the education envelope to the point that a Bachelor’s degree is now the basic equivalent of a G.E.D. A Master’s degree is the new Bachelor’s degree (and the minimum required to stay competitive at an ever increasing number of companies). The Ph.D. is the real prize these days. Again, how many workers are going to challenge an employer’s claim that they must have a Master’s degree in order to be promoted or hired for a certain job?
As I’ve written before, I believe the reason for the shift had to do with the fact that more and more Blacks (and Hispanic/Latinos) began to receive college degrees. So, over the years, the ability to stifle certain employees based on education requirements became less effective. And, as a result of increased education by many more minorities, competition during the hiring and promotion process began to become a bit more vigorous. It became tougher to justify why minorities weren’t being placed in certain jobs. The education excuse was watered down to a certain degree. But, that hasn’t stopped some employers from trying, hence the shift in the types of desired degrees for applicants and employees.
Now, I would never argue that employers shouldn’t want the most educated employees they can find. But, the fact of the matter is, many jobs don’t require a college degree. And, anyone who’s spent any amount of time in the workplace can tell you that some of the worst employees have the best education. Receiving a degree (pick a subject) doesn’t give you common sense, doesn’t mean you can work well in teams or lead a team, doesn’t mean you can communicate well (verbally or in writing), doesn't mean you won't violate employment law, and it doesn’t mean you are strategic, forward thinking, a quick learner, etc.
Having a degree doesn’t even mean that you’re extremely knowledgeable in your field—if you were a poor to mediocre student, cheated your way through college or are working outside your area of study. But, as I’ve stated, almost every job these days—no matter how menial or entry level—is requiring a college education. As I was reading up on race and color under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, I came across this:
Educational requirements obviously may be important for certain jobs. For example, graduation from medical school is required to practice medicine. However, employers often impose educational requirements out of their own sense of desirable qualifications. Such requirements may run afoul of Title VII if they have a disparate impact and exceed what is needed to perform the job.
As the Supreme Court stated in one of its earliest interpretations of Title VII: “History is filled with examples of men and women who rendered highly effective performance without the conventional badges of accomplishment in terms of certificates, diplomas, or degrees. Diplomas and tests are useful servants, but Congress has mandated the commonsense proposition that they are not to become masters of reality.”
And, that's where I stand on the issue. Diplomas shouldn't dictate reality or a person's opportunities in the workplace--not without a LEGITIMATE reason. If your supervisor, manager or other authority at your job is seeking to block your desired career path, deny you a promotion, etc. based on education requirements, please keep in mind that those requirements can be challenged! Two questions you can ask about education requirements are:
1. Is the requirement for a degree out of a business necessity? A business necessity is a practice necessary for safe and efficient organizational operation. For example, an employer can require that an employee have a high school diploma, but that employer must also be able to prove that this is essential to performing the job. Is there some essential element related to a degree that legitimately prevents you from being hired for a specific job, being promoted, being transferred, etc.?
2. Is the requirement for a degree based on job-related factors? Job-relatedness deals with the skills or other qualities that employers say are a requirement for a job. For instance, an employer can legitimately argue that applicants pass a math test in order to get a job working as a cashier because math skills are a job-related necessity for succeeding in that position. Based on the job you are applying for, seeking a promotion for, requesting a transfer to, etc…is their a job-related reason for requiring a degree? Is there a skill gained or other quality only obtained through earning a degree in a specific field (vs. actual experience, for example)? Would the lack of degree automatically prevent you from doing this specific job?
Labels: discrimination, Federal law, opportunity to advance, protected class, standards
posted by S. Mary Wills at 1:55 PM
4 Comments:
Great post. It's amazing the number of employers who feel that a college degree is the prerequisite for filling an entry level vacancy. More and more administrative support positions are requiring an Associate's or Bachelor's degree. This is ridiculous. A degree does not define a person; a person's character and ethics help to define who a person chooses to be. A degree does not automatically mean a person is qualified or can perform the job at hand; having a degree does not reflect whether the degree was actually earned. Students cheat all the time in college, that's why most, if not all colleges and universities have policies regarding cheating and plagiarism.
It would be great if the EEOC and Congress mandated that organizations list within the advertised job description specifically what tasks require a college degree. And they should not be allowed to fall back on the "other duties as assigned" argument.
Dreadlocs7
I think it is ENTIRELY an IQ-based filter and secondarily, a class filter (no one incapable of graduating from college or below middle class in outlook or mannerisms need apply.)
But it's ok to use education as a requirement, so that's what businesses do.
Frankly, I'd rather they just offer an IQ test. At least that's honest.
I totally and completely agree with the author that when reading this I thought I wrote it. I am not black but a white female who also has a mega issue with this subject. I would like to point out that it's not only discrimminating against minorities, which as a female I am one of, employers are discrimminating against anyone who doesn't have a high school diploma or a college degree. It gained steam back in the last recession 1990 - I would look through the want ads and find employers looking for BS or BA degrees for a Customer Service Position (are you kidding me?)by 1992 they were looking for a Masters for the same job. This smacks of class discrimmination from minorities to anyone who did not or could not obtain a diploma or a degree which has nothing to do with ones's intelligence or capabilities to do the job unless, as the writer stated, a doctor or lawyer where a degree in education is necessary.
Now, added to this discrimmination is Credit discrimmination - jobs posted now are stating backgrounds (which include, criminal, credit and education) checks to be done, again, no matter what the job.
How is this legal? In this economy millions of people have lost their jobs, credit and their homes, so does this mean 15 million people will never work again because their credit was destroyed through no fault of their own??
These are the most blatent and illegal forms of discrimmination I have ever seen and it needs to be stopped or this country is in more trouble than they know.
If this continues to be an acceptable employment practice, millions of people will never regain what they've lost or attain what they deserve.
If anyone would like to do something about this serious subject, I am open to suggestions. We need to take a stand.
I commend this author for this article - I just wrote an article on my blog called Bad Credit= No Employment which is a kin to this one.
I am putting you in my favorites Black Factor - Great article!
wwwmainstreetcritic.blogspot.com
So how does an employer screen potential hires then? Should everyone just have the exact same chance as everyone else when applying for jobs. In that line of reasoning, should we look at high-school grades? Some public schools have ridiculously low standards, churning out graduates who can barely read, while other schools have extremely difficult standards. How about we just do away with the idea of "working hard" in general and just make sure everyone has the same outcome?
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