And as members of these various groups struggled to be recognized, they developed a new sense of pride in what made them distinctive. This sense of pride, this valuing of diversity, has led the nation to where it is today. The Numbers Speak for Themselves Despite the nation's increasing heterogeneity, diversity is encountering varying degrees of resistance among different sectors of U.S. industry. But like it or not, diversity is not going to disappear. And as always, the workplace is the primary arena for social change.
Statistics graphically tell the story.
Minorities, immigrants and women already make up more than 50 percent of today's work force. Women will account for more than 47 percent of the total work force, and 61 percent of all American women will be employed, by the year 2000. By the end of the 1990s, African-Americans will comprise up to 12 percent of the labor force, Hispanics 10 percent and Asians four percent. The U.S. work forcewill continue to mature. People 35 to 54 will represent up to 51 percent of the work force by the year 2000 while those 16 to 24 years old will decline to only eight percent.