The United States is one of the most diverse nations on the planet, originally conceived as such and often described as a great melting pot, because "all nations blend together into a new race of man, whose work and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world” (Saint-Jean de Crèvecoeur, 1782). Yet despite the diversity of the nation's population, the workplace remains a site of inequality as women and minorities continue to earn less than their white male counterparts (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011; Bureau American Census, 2009) and progress less in the fields of management and profession. positions (Kinicki and Kreitner, 2008). The issue of diversity in the workplace is a polarizing debate, with supporters of diversity measures arguing the business benefits of diversity (Herring, 2009) and opponents arguing that diversity programs are a form of reverse discrimination ( Kinicki and Kreitner, 2008). To what extent should employers, whether government or commercial, seek to promote diversity and encourage equality and what are the ethical considerations of such a position? Government and employers are powerful entities that can continue to reinforce the dominant position of white men or diminish the existing dominant hierarchy by increasing diversity and working to break the glass ceiling. Given that both types of institutions are given power by civil society, a society increasingly composed of minorities (Kinicki and Kreitner, 2008), increasing diversity and addressing equality constitutes a societal obligation, a ethical choice and a good deal. workplace problems and turn the myth of the American melting pot into reality. Employers are powerful institutions that are responsible for allocating resources such as wages, benefits, vouchers...... middle of paper ......x. In cpsaat39.pdf (ed.). Washington, DC: Bureau of Labor Statistics. United States Census Bureau. (2009). HINC-05 table. Percentage distribution of households, by selected characteristics within the income quintile and top 5 percent in 2009. In new05_000.htm (Ed.). Washington DC: United States Census Bureau. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2011a). Enforcement and Litigation Statistics: All Laws for Fiscal Years 1997 through 2010. Accessed September 25, 2011, from http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/enforcement/all.cfmU.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2011b). Federal Laws Preventing Employment Discrimination: Questions and Answers Retrieved July 23, 2011 from http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html United States. (1776). In Congress, July 4, 1776, a declaration of the representatives of the United States of America, assembled in General Congress. Philadelphia: printed by John Dunlap.