Political Science

Affirmative action refers to the policies or programs which have been put in place in order to correct the past effects of discrimination against minority groups in employment, education, public contracting and health sector. The minority groups may include women, children and the blacks. Affirmative action may also refer to the policies which take into consideration some factors such as race, physical disabilities, sex, and military career in order to ensure equal opportunity. Affirmative action was devised in order to address two issues which are to correct the perceived disadvantages which as a result of institutional, involuntary or overt discrimination and to maximize diversity in all levels of our todays society. Affirmative action has been seen as controversial because there are people who support it while others do not.

Affirmative action has affected out workforce in various ways. Due to fact that it seeks to redress past discrimination the minority groups who are now being favored by the affirmative action feel that it is their right to get for instance employment because they are the disadvantaged regardless of whether they qualify or not. Affirmative action has also brought discrimination in the workforce. The group that got employment as a result of affirmative action is usually discriminated by the others. This brings poor performance in the workplace.

The minority groups in the workforce have taken affirmative action as their shield. They may sometimes be on the wrong side but because of affirmative action they feel that nothing can be done to them. When they may for instance be sacked they go back to the cocoon of affirmative action and start arguing that the decision was made that way because they are from the minority group.

Affirmative action has both positive and negative impacts in the society. Affirmative action on the positive side has brought about equal representation in various sectors. For instance in our governments women are now being more represented as compared to when there was no affirmative action. In the employment sector the disadvantaged such as the disabled have also gotten a chance to work too in sectors that they would not have been employed when there was no affirmative action. Racial discrimination has also reduced at very high rates because stereotypes such as the blacks are great sportsmen and entertainers have elapsed.

Affirmative action on the negative side has been seen to devalue the accomplishments of people who are chosen because of the group that they belong to socially rather than the qualifications that they have. It is thus seen as counterproductive. There are people who see affirmative action as discriminatory by itself because it judges people according to the social group they come from.

Affirmative action has also been seen to hinder reconciliation because it is seen as replacing the old wrongs with new wrongs, undermines the achievements of the minorities and at the same time it encourages people to identify themselves as the disadvantaged. For instance women feel that they are disadvantaged which was not the case before affirmative action. The disabled also are now fighting for more space in all sectors which was not the case before affirmative action. They today feel that they are discriminated and disadvantaged in the society and are now seeking for more attention and opportunities which they claim should be accorded to them because of their situation.