TECHNICAL GLOSSARY

Affirmative Action: Meaning and Overview

Affirmative action encompasses the creation of policies and practices aimed at broadening opportunities for marginalised or discriminated groups through affirmative action policies. The United States has mainly employed affirmative action to achieve increased diversity, equity, and inclusion within the home, workplace and/or government. The intent behind affirmative action is to resolve the impact of past and ongoing discrimination by ensuring fair and equitable access to opportunities through affirmative action. Examples of these affirmative action initiatives have included issues associated with affirmative action that include proactive initiatives such as outreach programmes, recruitment focusing on diversity and in some cases, offering affirmative action participants preferences based on factors such as race and/or gender in decision making along with other criteria.
Debates about affirmative action have existed for years. Supporters view affirmative action as a needed tool to adjust systemic inequality; opposing individuals tend to support whether affirmative action was a viable option and/create unfairness or create favourable/unfavourable status/preferences as it relates to affirmative action. As a result of these differences regarding the implementation of affirmative action, the nature and extent of the application of affirmative action have evolved over the periods of time and are subject to strict restrictions of US law.

When Did Affirmative Action Start in the U.S.?

The beginning of affirmative action in America dates back to the early 1960s. In 1961, President Kennedy approved Executive Order 10925, which required federal contractors to provide affirmative action to ensure that all applicants would be treated fairly regardless of race, color, or national origin.
President Johnson continued to expand this policy through the Civil Rights Act that prohibited discrimination in employment and educational opportunities through the expansion of executive orders and regulations for contractors to include additional affirmative action requirements to improve employment practices of contractors.

Has Affirmative Action Ended?

In the U.S., affirmative action hasn't completely disappeared but has definitely lost a lot of ground. The major change happened in June 2023 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard saying that race-based affirmative action in college admissions violates the Constitution.
As a result of the ruling, colleges and universities cannot consider race as a specific factor when making admissions decisions. However, there are still ways to implement affirmative action-related practices such as hiring based on compliance, implementing diversity plans, and adhering to federal contractor requirements as long as they comply with existing legal requirements.

Why Is Affirmative Action Important?

Affirmative action remains essential to eliminate barriers caused by many years of inequitable access to resources, both Socially and Economically. Affirmative Action seeks to promote greater access to educational opportunities and employment by ensuring that all members of society have the opportunity to have their talents and abilities recognized. A Business and workforce perspective indicates that diverse organizations are frequently able to benefit from greater creativity and innovation as well as different ways of looking at things and improved decision-making processes. From the Educators' perspective, providing students with the opportunity to learn in diverse environments helps to prepare them to function effectively in an increasingly Diverse Society.