The Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action: Neccessary for Equal Opportunity or Reverse Discrimination

Both sides of the affirmative action debate, both for and against, have put forth convincing arguments for their point of view. Here is a review of the rhetoric on both sides.

What is Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action is not a clearly defined law. It is the sum of voluntary and mandatory guidelines established by businesses, schools and government (federal, state and local) which came about following the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

Affirmative Action is an "active" policy, as opposed to Equal Employment Opportunity, which is a "passive" policy. For instance, Affirmative Action programs outline specific actions to be taken to create a more diverse workforce; EEO simply prohibits discrimination and requires employers to determine whether discrimination exists in their organizations. Affirmative Action requires employers to monitor their progress towards parity and to assess achievement of those goals; EEO sets no such procedures.

Affirmative Action does not set quotas. It simply requires organizations to investigate whether they have intentional or unintentional practices that limit minority employment and/or promotion; if such practices exist, they must establish a formal plan to resolve the problems, assess progress, and measure their success.

The Pro-Affirmative Action Side: It is a Fair and Necessary Program

Proponents of Affirmative Action say that it is necessary to ensure that minorities have a fair opportunity in employment and education. The American Civil Liberties Union Briefing Paper #17 lists a number of reasons why Affirmative Action remains vital; among the statistics shared:

• Schools that serve predominantly minority inner-city children receive about half the money per student that schools in surrounding white suburbs receive.
• In 1990, the average black male worker earned $731 for every $1,000 earned by a white male worker. Latino men earned $810 for every $1,000 earned by similarly-educated white men.
• Although white men make up only 43 percent of the total US workforce, they hold 97% of the top executive positions at the nation's 1,500 largest corporations.

The Anti-Affirmative Action Side: It is Reverse Discrimination

Opponents to Affirmative Action believe that the process leads to reverse discrimination, and that it leads to hiring people based on race, gender, etc., rather than merit. They argue that Affirmative Action actually makes people more biased against each other, as it increases the sense of "us versus them."

It has also been argued that since growing numbers of minorities are entering upper-management ranks, Affirmative Action has worked, and discrimination is decreasing.

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