Positive Discrimination and Kantian Ethics in the Workplace

This essay provides an ethical analysis of positive discrimination in the workplace, specifically focusing on gender equality in the firefighting profession through the lens of Kant's deontology. The case study examines the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) in Australia, which implemented a selection criterion prioritizing women to enhance gender diversity, a move that female firefighters themselves opposed. The essay argues, based on Kant's principles, that positive discrimination is unethical as it violates individuals' moral rights by treating people as means rather than ends. It highlights the importance of merit-based recruitment, especially in physically demanding roles like firefighting, and critiques the ethical implications of potentially hiring less qualified candidates to meet diversity quotas. The analysis concludes that while gender diversity is important, it should not come at the cost of ethical standards, and that Kant's theory supports the female firefighters' stance against positive discrimination. The essay also acknowledges the limitations of Kantian ethics in resolving complex moral conflicts.

Running head: POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION AT WORKPLACE
Positive Discrimination At Workplace
Name of the Student:
Name of the Univerdity:
Author Note:

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The paper elaborates an ethical analysis on the basis of Kant’s theory of deontology to
figure out whether positive discrimination is allowable or not in the workplace. The case
considered here is on the demand of gender equality for the firefighter occupation from the
female firefighters. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) in Australia has introduced a
selection critera where women are given prioritize in the selection in order to bring gender
diversity. However, women are not at all supporting this criteria, considering it to be
unethical and violation of equality (Cavico et al., 2014).
The term “positive discrinmination” refers to some special measures with respect to
age, sex, and/or race which promote equality for some people and some people are victimized
on the basis of these special measures. The discrimation is very common in many workplace.
More specifically, gender discrimination has been in talk for decades as women are not given
equal priority for some specific job role like military service, firefighting, law enforcement
and many more. To reduce this gender discrimination and to bring gender diversity, the
positive discrimination has been introduced. However, according to deontological theory of
Kant, positive discrimination is not at all ethical and it should not be welcomed in any
workplace. The philosopher Immanuel Kant has said that any sort of discrimination should be
ommitted as the discrimination violates a person’s basic moral rights. No one should be
treated on the basis of “means”, everyone is ought to be treated as end-in-oneself. Thus, the
act of recruiting more female firefighters as the number of female firefighters is very less is
not ethically right. According to a report, among 200 firefighters in Australia, only four are
women. The NT Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services want more number of female
applicants for the firefighting job. However, being a challenging job, the job role requires
proper physical fitness and ability to undertake lots of physical tasks (Bal, 2017). Gender
diversity is important for any job. However, it is not rational to recruit any random woman as
a firefighter who is not fit enough to clear the fitness test benchmarks just to maintain the

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diversity in the workplace. Bringing in more women in the job should also ensure that those
women should be fit to do the job (Huettinger & Zirgulis, 2018).
The ethical dilemma regarding the recruitment of female in firefighting should be
eliminated. The existing female firefighters are alaso against this positive discrimination
since it violates the women’s self-esteem and it is also demotivative. From the perspective of
categorical imperative, any requirement must be absolute and must be obeyed uncodtionally.
It is called categorical since it is to be followed unonditionally. Categorical imperative
explains that if something is wrong for someone, then it should not be implemented on others
as anything should be judged unconditionally. Similarly, if there is vacancy for firefighting
job role, then the candidates should be hired on the basis of their merits, their ability to
perform physical task and on not merely on the basis of gender (Newman, 2014). If positive
discrimination is brought for men in any workplace, then women may feel discriminated.
Similarly, positive discrimination for women will also make men feel discriminated. Thus the
Metropolitan Fire Brigade should act ethically following the “universal law” regarless of the
gender and situation to see women fast-tracked at the recruitment of firefighting (Dietz &
Kleinlogel, 2015).
The theory supports the thing which is morally upright. Thus the theory helps to
encounter the gender ethics related issues in the society and also suggests people to do the
right thing at any circumstances. However, the theory has some limitations as it doesnot
provide correct solution in a conflicting situation. In this case, if a female candidate has the
merit to get a job and gets qualified for the job on the basis of the merit. It can indicate that
the employee could have been employed due to merits but there are other reason, her gender
status. Thus, the theory supports ethical act but does not provoide the way how one can act
ethically in case of moral obligations (Sharma & Mann, 2018).

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From the above discussion, it can be concluded the theory of Kantian anlysis is
ethically supports the words of female firefighters. The ethical analysis concludes that
welcoming gender diversity in any workplace should not result in positive discrimination.
The analysis is useful to determine the validity of the kantian theory. Moreover, the analyis is
sucessful to explain whether positive discrimination is allowable or not and ultimately it is
established that with the support of Kantian theory, positive discrimination is not allowed in
any workplace.

4POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION AT WORKPLACE
References
Bal, M. (2017). Dignity in the Workplace: New Theoretical Perspectives. Springer.
Cavico, F. J., Mujtaba, B. G., Muffler, S. C., & Samuel, M. (2014). Wellness Programs in the
Workplace: An Unfolding Legal Quandary for Employers. International Journal of
Occupational Health and Public Health Nursing, 1(1), 15-50.
Dietz, J., & Kleinlogel, E. P. (2015). Employment discrimination as unethical behavior.
Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Huettinger, M., & Zirgulis, A. (2018). Take the Best from East and West 2-20 July 2018.
Newman, C. (2014). Time to address gender discrimination and inequality in the health
workforce. Human resources for health, 12(1), 25.
Sharma, S., & Mann, N. (2018). Workplace Discrimination: The Most Critical Issue in.
Management Techniques for a Diverse and Cross-Cultural Workforce, 206.