Discrimination and the world of Work A Coming

Abstract

Working life is in the process of radical and rapid transformation. Unemployment remaining high through recession and recovery, corporate downsizing, more casual and part-time work together with more intense job insecurity mark the outlines of the emergent “30–30–40” society. At the same time, Australian society is also being transformed by such influences as a more evidently diverse population arising from migration inflows and the changing social and economic roles of men and women. In these changes, Australia reflects internationally observable phenomena. Discrimination law both encourages and stands witness to such transformations, but appears so far to have limited influence in promoting disadvantaged minorities to the top tables of privilege. Women, people from non-English-speaking backgrounds and indigenous Australians are more evident in the workplace, but access and equity questions for them remain unresolved. Nonetheless, acceptance of social diversity and the ability to navigate it will provide the keys to the future.