Author Question: In 1970, the University of Virginia, a taxpayer-supported state university, was forced by the ... (Read 467 times)

evelyn o bentley · **on:** Jun 19, 2018

In 1970, the University of Virginia, a taxpayer-supported state university, was forced by the
federal government to admit women to its all-male law school, as gender discrimination was
considered a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court held that
military universities operated by state governments must admit women, along with men. But
private colleges are still permitted to be limited to one gender and many all-female and all-male
colleges remain even today.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

A young female writers assistant working on the television series Friends sued for sexual
harassment. She claimed that the offensive, sexually tinged conversation of the writers
meetings made it impossible for her to carry out her job effectively and she quit, seeking
damages in the lawsuit.

What will be an ideal response?

chereeb · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 19, 2018

Answer to Question 1

1. Should this prohibition on gender discrimination be extended to private colleges, too?
With what ethical justification could they be allowed to be limited to one gender?
2. If gender bias is allowed at private schools, why is race exclusion not acceptable for
private colleges? Develop ethical arguments to support this distinction.

Answer to Question 2

1. Does this seem to you like sexual harassment? How do you draw the line between
casual joking that should be tolerated and sexual harassment that should be banned in
the workplace? Justify your answers using ethical reasoning principles.
2. How would you define sexual harassment? How is it related to employment
discrimination against the victims of harassment? What ethical considerations are
important in addressing these issues?