Government Employment and Affirmative Action

This chapter examines the position of women and minorities in federal, state, and local government. Both attitudinal and structural characteristics affect female and minority participation and mobility in government employment. Attitudes toward women, as well as their own attitudes, have hampered female participation and promotion. In 1960 a study of Civil Service Commission referral requests showed that, across all job categories, 29 percent specified men only and 34 percent specified women only. State and local government employment has increased steadily—from 6.3 million employees in 1960 to 12 million in 1975. The groups which seem to have the greatest formal responsibility and power in initiating and maintaining equal employment opportunity in government employment are the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in regard to state and local employees and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in regard to federal employees—especially the Bureau of Intergovernmental Personnel Programs within the CSC.