Ad discrimination: How do we draw the line between bias and practicality?

"... she went on to put an ad in The Straits Times' Classifieds, but was told she could not put in these race and sex requirements"

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Oct 23, 2007

Ad discrimination: How do we draw the line between bias and practicality?
I REFER to Ms Radha Basu's article, 'Time to amend the Constitution' (ST, Oct 12), and many other commentaries that fight against the discrimination of women and/or races.
It appears that sex and race are becoming more touchy issues as Singapore is more willing to recognise that minorities such as females, local non-Chinese and gays have been subject to discrimination.
These changing attitudes are reflected - and also brought about - by changes in the Penal Code.
While I laud no matter how slight changes that to me reflect a maturing society, I believe there are some tricky issues at hand.
My mother wishes to employ a clerk for her company currently consisting of a female clerk and herself.
Her office space is small and crowded with furniture and office supplies.
She specifically wants a female worker because it would be awkward for these two women to share such a tight physical space with a man.
She specifically, too, wants a Chinese worker because the job requires conversing with Mandarin and dialect-speaking clients.
(Of course, one might argue that race does not dictate the language spoken, but while we are in Singapore, these two are still very much closely correlated.)
Furthermore, she has her lunches in the office and is afraid of making a Muslim clerk uncomfortable with the smell of Chinese food, which also includes pork, in the poorly-ventilated office.
Hence, she went on to put an ad in The Straits Times' Classifieds, but was told she could not put in these race and sex requirements.
Consequently, she had to politely turn down many ad respondents who did not fall in these categories, which was a waste of both these jobseekers' and my mother's time.
I believe there are many other arguments for employers who have a preference for one sex and/or race over another.
Some of these reasons could also be biologically-related (for example, men are generally physically stronger than women, as well as the very controversial issue of the need for pregnancy and post-natal leave which men are most unlikely to require).
Then how?
How do we institutionally draw this line so as to serve practical needs without tipping onto the side of sex/racial bigotry?
Chen Weiling (Ms)
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