Affirmative Action: Ethical or Purely Discrimination

Affirmative action is for the oppressed; for those of us who have not been treated equally. We as human beings have a tendency to overlook these issues of inequality when it does not concern us personally. Inequality is a social injustice that still

The affirmative action has been viewed as a tool designed to bring about greater integration with the various segments of the society. The other rationale of the affirmative action is the justification that diversity in terms of racial, ethnic and gender make-up within the social class have been marked by rigid homogeneity with ethical perspective.

In the 1960s when minorities and whites were equal according to the constitution but unequal in reality, a program was needed to level the playing field. Thus the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was created and prohibited discrimination. It marked the beginning of a debate that has been going on for nearly a half of a century. Affirmative action needs to be reevaluated in educational settings in light of current needs.

Affirmative action is a social policy created to promote the welfare of minorities by supporting the idea that individuals are all created equal and should not be judged by race or gender. Therefore, in situations like job and university applications, we should consider minorities to be as feasible a choice for hire as a white male candidate, taking into consideration their background. In short, it tries to give minorities that have been at a disadvantage their whole life, an opportunity to ‘equal the playing field ' by providing a broader context by which to measure an applicant or prospective employee. In the end, however, this goal is not realized. Instead, superficial ‘quotas ' are established and the

When addressing legal issues of diversity in the modern day era, one main topic is brought to discussion, affirmative action. It was put into place by the federal government in the 1960’s and was initially developed to close the gap in relation to the privileged majority and the unprivileged minority in America (Aguirre Jr. & Martinez, 2003). While it has been controversial since its origin, it remains controversial as critics argue it tries to equalize the impact of so many

“No, it’s not me, it’s you… What’s wrong with you? Why, nothing. You have everything we are looking for, it’s just…you’re black…” First established in 1961, Affirmative action (in the United States) was/is a practice in which the purpose is to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women (Merriam Webster). Fast forward to today’s society and what is affirmative action now? Considering the prevalence of diversity in the workplace and in educational facilities, it should be of utmost importance that all people, regardless of race, are given the equal opportunity in the admissions and job application process; affirmative action would enforce that importance. However, many job applicants go to an

Today’s society emphasizes the need of equal opportunities; everyone should have equal chances despite their race, gender, or other characteristics. However, there are still many barriers and biases, often unconscious, which do not let to embrace the potential of everyone. Even though Civil Right Era made a good improvement, because of the long years of legal racism and sexism, ethnic minority members and women are still disadvantaged by the system. It is obvious that something should be done about it and one of the ways to reduce inequality is affirmative action.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 empowered minorities in many different ways, most notably in prohibiting discrimination in the workplace. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act expressly prohibits discrimination in hiring, firing, promotion, pay, benefits and other aspects of employment based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (U.S. Department of Labor, 2012). This law was seen as a major boon to minorities and women in the workforce who had, for years, been subjected to unfair hiring and remuneration practices. But, in order to ensure that there was broad fairness and that employers were abiding by the new law, some steps needed to be taken. One way to monitor employers was to force them to have a certain number of minorities and women on their workforces at all times, greatly increasing the number of minority employees. These affirmative action laws, while still controversial today, have made a huge difference in the composition of our nation's workforce and in the lives of those who have been affected.

Affirmative action was created to increase the number of people from certain social groups in employment, education, business, government, and other areas (LaNoue, G., 2010). This policy is geared toward women, and minorities such as African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, and disabled people. Generally speaking, Affirmative Action was put into place to benefit groups that are thought to have suffered from discrimination. Some believe that affirmative action is just a means for minorities to get ahead, but the benefit is for minorities to first of all

Affirmative action is a rather complicated subject that is packed with nuance. It can be difficult to fully assess whether affirmative action is a good thing when discussing it in terms of what is just and what is unjust. Professor Michael J. Sandel argues in favor of affirmative action. However, the arguments he uses when presenting his case are not particularly strong.

Affirmative Action was originally established by former President John F. Kennedy on March 6, 1961 in his executive order, which included a provision that mandated federally funded projects to take “affirmative action” to ensure that hiring and employment were free of racial bias (#4). Over the years, colleges and universities began to adopt similar policies in their admissions process (#2). The purpose of affirmative action is to provide an equal ground for women and people of color in the workforce and educational institutions (#4). There are many debates and myths about affirmative action, some of which will be unraveled later in this paper. This policy does not mean it benefits unqualified minorities, but rather highlights qualified and over-qualified minorities to be considered by otherwise predominantly white institutions (#4). Affirmative action is supposed to aid the nation in establishing equal opportunity for all. In my opinion, affirmative action has a moral and just purpose and I will be using Martin Luther King Jr., Mill, and Foucault to support my argument.

For the people that do not have the advantage to take admission in any specific college due to their background was the reason for Affirmative action being designed. Affirmative action works on the assumption that if minority applicants were striving to take admission in colleges, then there would be some limitations or constraints attached with the applicants. Therefore, this system in which an additional weight granted to applicants for their race or ethnicity was made, has had a major impact on the African-American minorities in education. Daigle is a published author, who speaks about Affirmative Action and how it has impacted college admissions, “The practices of different institutions for giving priority to the ethnic minorities, women,

"A policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities." By definition seems to explain affirmative action and to help subsidize for past discrimination. Affirmative action has foremost affects in college admissions and employment. Especially, in employment more qualified women applicants are hired solely in the fact that they are members of a minority group. The Women’s Movement has fought for the equality of women and I intend to show that affirmative action in today’s society. Affirmative action was first put into use during the 1960s under John F. Kennedy. The Civil Rights movement of 1964 emphasized the program. During that era discrimination among minorities and women was extremely high and there were many barriers. Affirmative action required employers to hire regardless of race, the affirmative action of today has changed, and employers now required to diversity in human resources. The main goal of the action was to give minorities and women an equal opportunity at employment and. The program was brought into effect ratios of employment and college admissions between whites and blacks were not corresponding with population.

Affirmative action is an attempt to correct unequal distribution of benefits (status, income and wealth, power and authority), and burdens associated with ethnic and gender differences. Affirmative action has been promoted by the Federal government since the mid 1960's, when president Lyndon B. Johnson ordered federal contractors to adopt affirmative action plans. (Congress and the Nation, 748). This paper will focus on the relevance of affirmative action in the American society.

Social movements regarding racial and gender equality are becoming frequent news stories in the United States. While discrimination may not be as prominent as it was in the past, many individuals feel it still lingers within our society’s roots and gives unfair advantages to certain groups. One policy meant to counteract this is affirmative action. Focusing on jobs and education, affirmative action is a policy meant to provide opportunities for members of racial and ethnic minorities in order to eliminate discrimination (Macionis, 417). However, as with many social policies, it is a controversial and debated topic. In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the policy of affirmative action against Barbara Gruttner who thought that the University