describing the elements of affirmative action

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Affirmative action refers to the policies of non-discrimination in direct compliance with the laws that prohibit any form of discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The laws relating to equal employment apply to organizations both private and public with 15 or more employees however, the requirements for employers to create formal written plans are dependent upon various factors related to federal contracting and the dollar value of these contracts. Affirmative action requires employers to review their hiring and employment practices and to strive toward balanced representation. Affirmative action encourages public and private employers to become more representative of the populations they serve. Usually, where affirmative action needs to be taken there is targeted recruitment that is designed to generate applicants from the unrepresented groups. From another perspective, affirmative action refers to a set of polices that bring about improved employment opportunities for targeted sections of the society.

Affirmative action can also mean giving better treatment to groups that are underrepresented. Because of this, affirmative action programs are targets of criticism. Much of the criticism directed at affirmative action programs relate to quotas and preferential treatment to obtain race and gender proportionality in the workforce. This leads many to view affirmative action as a set of policies that create employment pathways for under qualified minorities, women and those who are disabled at the expense of the white male.

This, of course, is not the intent of affirmative action. The true intent of affirmative action programs is to reach minority segments of society offsetting the consequences of past discrimination and to ensure future nondiscrimination and equal employment opportunities. Studies have shown that racial stereotypes and attitudes have a heavy influence in the workplace with African Americans and women being the primary recipients of the negative affects. Not surprisingly, it is believed that race discrimination is deeply rooted in the country's cultural landscape and these negative attitudes find their way into the workplace and greatly affect minority and female employees. These conclusions lead to the development and ...