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Ross, how do you enforce the level playing field? For example let's assume I'm hiring a new sales person and I interview a black guy, a white guy, a deeply religious guy, a pregnant mum-to-be, an old guy and a disabled guy. Only one person can get the job. Now let's assume I employ the white guy for no reason other than I think he is genuinely best for the job. Fair enough. But say I was a secret racist, or I didn't like oldies, or I was sexist, or I didn't like religion (!?!), etc, I would still employ the white guy and still give the same reason: he's best for the job. How would anyone ever know I'd broken the employment law and how do they enforce it?
I really don't think that these employment laws are realistic, they certainly won't overcome the prejudicial requirements or expectations of a lot of employers. If an employer wants a young guy in the workshop instead of a 50-plus guy or a woman, then he will just end up employing his young guy but will just have to waste time interviewing a few older guys and women to get there. You get the idea.
What REALLY baffles me is how the acting profession can break just about every employment law in existence. They actually have to ask for people of a certain age, certain sex, certain height or skin colour, they can smoke in the workplace if the scene demands it, and so on. Can you imagine if a local estate agent office put an ad out for a "young white female in mid 20s, slim with athletic build and strong voice, wanted for general admin duties". Only in our dreams, eh lads?