Minority Set Aside Programs

Minority Set-Aside programs, such as the Small Contractors Set-Aside Program, are contract award preference programs intended for state based small contractors. In the state of Connecticut, Small contractors are classified as those: 1) which have been in business for a minimum of one year; 2) that maintain its primary place of business in the State of Connecticut; and 3) with a prior years' gross revenue of less than $10,000,000. This essay will discuss the issue of minority set aside programs and the moral implications of trying to improve the employment and educational opportunities of women and minorities through state and federal legislation (Policy Link, 2005).

The traditional beliefs and stereotypes that have been perpetuated throughout history and across generational lines, presents a foundation for discrimination against women and minorities. A woman's place is in the home where she is to cook, clean, and care for her family. She is to support her husband in his endeavors; women lack the physical characteristics that make men better candidates for certain jobs and/or professions; women are a hassle to employee because of all the special treatment that they require due to their particular body chemistry. These are just some of the common reasons why the employment industry lacks the presence of women. African Americans are prone to criminal behavior such as theft and illegal drug activity. They have also been labeled as extremely violent individuals, academically inferior and neglect to pay their debts. Along with African Americans, Hispanics have been labeled as lazy, cowardly and uneducated. Those who are stereotyped have a propensity of being discriminated against. Just think of it, if you were given a choice of providing employment to a person or group of people who are commonly known as lazy uneducated criminals because of race or to another group which has been labeled hardworking highly educated innovators, which group would group would you label as having the most utility. The utilitarian theory of ethics, which asserts that the consequences of hiring individuals with a strong work ethic and the education over those with a predisposition to criminal behavior, would determine that the greatest amount of good will be served by the employees without a predisposition to criminal behavior and are productive members of society.

Minority set aside programs, as part of the affirmative action program, can be seen as morally acceptable according to the harm principle of utilitarian ethics. The harm principle states that society is justified in coercing the behavior of an individual in order to prevent them from harming others. If stereotypes and traditional ideas govern the lives and decisions of employers, then women and minorities would be passed over time and time again. As members of a growing society with lives and families of their own, they too deserve the right to be given an opportunity to adequately provide for their families above the poverty line level. The utilitarian theory of ethics suggests that affirmative action provides a great amount of good, in the form of opportunities, for minorities "who would otherwise not have the opportunity".

Minorities comprise a more than 20 percent of the United States population and yet they own a mere 9 percent of all construction firms and obtain only 5 percent of all construction contracts. "Banks and other service companies are often not receptive to supporting new businesses with diverse ownership" is a common complaint among women and minorities trying to break into such an industry as construction. Construction firms that do not have the experience, resources, and manpower capacity are unable to bid on large scale projects. The deficiency of large scale projects for start up company's inhibits their ability to sufficiently build capacity to be able to compete for such contracts. The wave of equal opportunity employment is a long way from the shore of being equal. Minority set-aside programs are morally acceptable because they structured to bring about change; the type of change that increases the minority representation across business lines so that they too have an opportunity to competitively become successful on the same scale as those who are traditionally represented (Policy Link, 2005). For example, in the fiscal year 2002, women owned firms representing approximately 28% of all business in the Unites States have only acquired 2.9% of multi-billion dollar federal government contracts (Eliminating Racism, 2004).

According to statistics, affirmative action programs have fueled the fire behind the income, promotion, and labor force participation of women and minorities. For example in 2001, Minority owned businesses were growing at a rate of 17% per year, that is six times the growth rate of all firms nationwide; Women owned businesses totaled 9.1 million, generated $3.6 trillion in sales and employed 27.5 million workers (Minority Business Challenge, 2002).

Minority owned businesses are currently focused on the construction industry for the following reasons (Policy Link, 2005):

1. Construction is a highly profitable industry that has the ability to support workers with decent wages.

2. The construction industry depends a great deal on public money from federal, state, and local governments in view of the fact that they are responsible for building roads, schools, transportation systems, etc.

3. The construction industry, as confirmed by history, has been dominated by white men, due to union membership restrictions, discriminatory hiring practices, etc.

The federal government has taken an active role in the struggle to improve the opportunities of small and disadvantaged businesses by passing laws to that fact. Executive order 12432 signed in 1983 by President Reagan, directs all agencies of the Federal Government to develop specific goal-oriented plans for expanding procurement opportunities to minority businesses. Small disadvantaged businesses are classified as such by the following guidelines:

1. The business must be at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals;