Executive Order 11246:
Implications for Asian Americans
2008-02-R9
(Copyrighted 2008
by Don M. Tow)
What is
Executive
Order 11246?
Executive
Order (EO) 11246 (see, e.g.,
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Executive_Order_11246)
was
signed by
President
Lyndon B. Johnson on 9/24/65 that
required Equal
Employment Opportunity. The
Order
states that “It is the
policy of the Government of the
Furthermore, the Order also requires contractors
to "take
affirmative action
to ensure that
applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment,
without regard to their race,
creed,
color, or national origin."
With respect to the federal government, the Order
states that the head of each executive department or agency should be
responsible for enforcing this Order, under the supervision and guidance of
the Civil Service Commission.
With respect to federal contractors and
subcontractors, as well as federally assisted construction contractors and
subcontractors, the Order states that the Secretary of Labor should be
responsible for enforcing this Order.
It is important to note that EO 11246 emphasizes “the
full realization of equal employment opportunity.”
This means that equal employment opportunity
should be provided in hiring, as well as promotion to all levels of
management.
There should not be any glass ceiling barrier.
The non-discrimination categories of race, creed, color, or national origin
were later extended via subsequent Executive Orders to include also sex,
handicap, and age.
Consequences of EO 11246:
During the past 40+ plus years since the signing of EO
11246, a lot of progress has been made on equal employment opportunity for
essentially all non-discrimination categories, especially with respect to
the categories of race and sex, although much more progress is still needed
on all fronts.
However, progress is especially slow for the
category of Asian Americans in promotion to management ranks.
This is best illustrated by the following chart
prepared by 80-20 (http://www.80-20initiative.net),
an organization dedicated to winning equal opportunity and justice for all
Asian Americans.
The chart by 80-20 has compiled statistics not
only from the federal government, but also from private industries and
universities.
These three segments employ a total of about
2.1 million Asian Americans.
The above chart clearly shows that relative to the
national average or other major affirmative action groups, Asian Americans
have significantly smaller chances of being promoted to the management level
in private industries, universities, and federal government.
For Asian Americans, the major barrier to equal
employment opportunity is not the opportunity to be hired, but the
opportunity to be promoted.
Implications for Asian Americans:
80-20 has repeatedly brought this to the attention of President
Bush’s Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao.
Senator Tom Carper, the U.S. Senator from
The significantly lower probability of promotion to management level is even
more puzzling considering that Asian American as a group has higher
educational training.
Furthermore, as pointed out by 80-20, of the graduates with a master degree
in business (including MBA), the largest percentage among minority groups of
such graduates belongs to the Asian American group.
Of the graduates with a bachelor degree in business or a doctoral
degree in business, the second largest percentage of such graduates belongs
to the Asian American group, just slightly behind the African American
group.
It seems that the only explanation of the Secretary of Labor’s reluctance to
take actions to correct a long-standing issue of non-equal employment
opportunity that should be the responsibility of the Secretary of Labor as
mandated under EO 11246 is that she doesn’t want to take any action that
might not be consistent with the prevailing atmosphere and approach of her
boss, President Bush.
Another example of lack of equal employment opportunity for Asian Americans
is the lack of appointment (by the President of the
For the many Asian Americans who have worked in private industries,
government, and academics, they don’t really need any sophisticated
statistical analysis to tell them what they already know and experience in
their work environment.
But
they do need such statistical analysis to try to convince others.
Unfortunately, even such clear-cut statistical analysis often still
cannot overcome the power of political influence.
That is why 80-20 has been advocating a bloc-vote approach to achieve
equal opportunity and justice for Asian Americans.
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