All too often, there is an implicit assumption that the cause of some disparity is located where the statistics on that disparity were collected. Thus, for example, the under-representation of women in Silicon Valley is assumed to be caused by something that happens in Silicon Valley, and the higher prices charged by stores in many low-income neighborhoods are assumed to be caused by those who run those stores. This implicit assumption has been embedded in the law of the land by the Supreme Court of the United States, which has treated disparities in the employment, pay and promotions of
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