Summary: As of September 1991, women and minorities in the Agency for International Development's (AID) civil and foreign services were underrepresented in many professional and administrative jobs and at more senior grade levels. In most cases, these groups were under-represented by only a small number of individuals; underrepresentation by white females, however, was significantly higher. AID lacks a recruitment plan targeting specific areas of underrepresentation. Although AID did not collect and analyze hiring, assignment, and promotion data, the information available on AID's hiring practices reveals that minorities had been adversely affected. AID has not determined the reasons for the disparities. GAO found that white females were generally not adversely affected by AID's hiring, assignment, and promotion practices and that this group often had the highest selection rate. AID's Equal Employment Opportunity Oversight Board has not met since June 1986, and AID did not create two alternative review groups until 1990 and 1991. Also, senior managers were not held accountable for accomplishing action items listed in AID's affirmative action plan, and AID lacked an effective system to report progress in correcting underrepresentation of women and minorities.
