Moreover, the Court stated that affirmative action could not become a permanent policy and suggested that sometime in the future, when affirmative action would no longer be necessary to promote diversity, it would no longer be permissible for universities to employ affirmative action in their admissions process (See generally, Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003)). Given the incredible advancements in the struggle for equality over the past half-century, it is conceivable that the Supreme Court is right, and that affirmative action will no longer be necessary in another quarter of a century.
Getting a job
One of the more pervasive myths about affirmative action in employment decisions is that if equally-qualified white and black people are applying for a job, the black person is more likely to get the job. That is simply and patently, untrue. First, it is impossible to have to identically-qualified applicants, which makes it an interesting argument when people use that as a qualifier. Even if two applicants look the same on paper, intangibles, such as personality, can make a difference when one makes a hiring decision. Unfortunately, given that the majority of individuals, even those who are not overt racist and who not wish to perpetuate racist stereotypes, do harbor some racist ideas, those intangibles have frequently had a negative impact on African-American applicants. There is still racial bias in hiring, and when two equally-qualified applicants apply for a job, the white person is still more likely to get the job. For example, when one looks at the statistics compiled by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for the employment of women and minorities in the private workforce in 2006, one sees a total of 30,430,509 whites in the workforce compared to 6,380,044 blacks. However, when one looks at management, one sees 4,072,917 whites in management positions, which is greater than 10% of all working whites in management positions.
In contrast, one sees only 328,701 blacks in management positions, which is less than 5% of all working blacks in management positions. There are 6,149,523 whites in professional positions, which is approximately 20% of all working whites. However, there are only 591,367 blacks in professional positions, which is less than 10% of all working blacks. When one looks at the low-paying, low-status position of laborer, one sees a different trend. There are 1,712,217 whites in laborer positions, which is between 4% and 5% of all white workers. However, there are 672, 165 blacks in laborer positions, which is more than 10% of all black workers. (See, Occupational employment in private industry by race/ethnic group/sex and by industry, United (States, 2006, 2008). If educational disparity has been eradicated, so that blacks are in a position to be equally qualified to whites and there is a preference for the black applicant, why would these numbers reflect such a white-bias in higher-paying and higher-prestige management and professional jobs?
Moreover, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects individuals against employment discrimination on the basis of race. Because of Title VII:
It is unlawful to discriminate against any individual in regard to recruiting, hiring and promotion, transfer, work assignments, performance measurements, the work environment, job training, discipline and discharge, wages and benefits, or any other term, condition, or privilege of employment. Title VII prohibits not only intentional discrimination, but also neutral job policies that disproportionately affect persons of a certain race or color and that are not related to the job and the needs of the business. Employers should adopt "best practices" to reduce the likelihood of discrimination and to address impediments to equal employment opportunity (Race/color discrimination, 2008).
In most job situations, affirmative action does not apply. Instead, employers are directed to be race-neutral in their hiring decisions. Even when those jobs that do employ affirmative action are considered, the white applicant is still, overall, more likely to be chosen over the equally-qualified black applicant. The question arises, "is this fair to the white applicant?" No, it absolutely is not. There is no fairness in getting an advantage because of characteristic over which one has no control. It does not increase a white applicant's ability to perform their job or give them appropriate incentives to better themselves. Instead, having the advantage of skin color in job selection may lead to arrogance and poor work habits, which can be very detrimental to a white applicant in a world in which white advantage is rapidly disappearing.
Have we gone too far?
Critics of affirmative action believe that affirmative action programs have gone too far to remedy the historical injustices against African-Americans. They suggest that racial-preference...
Affirmative action is an initiative based on a set of policies that are intended to eradicate both present and past prejudice against women and minority in areas of employment and businesses where they were historically marginalized. Theses discriminations can also be based on ones race, religion, color or nation of origin (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2009). Brief History of affirmative action Civil rights movements originally endorsed programs that would enable African-Americans acquire
Affirmative Action Lit Review Affirmative Action Review of Literature Has Affirmative Action outlived its use in today's society? And if so should the program change or simply come to an end? The issue of Affirmative Action (AA) is one that is currently being hotly debated by both policy makers and the public. Like racism itself there are many opinions all of which are run the gamut between logical and illogical and constructive and
Affirmative Action is an extremely important concept since it is vital to the operation of America as a democracy. It reinforces the affirmation of the Constitution that all people are born equal and should, therefore, be given an equal chance to prove themselves. Employment opportunity (and other factors) should be based on merit rather than on extraneous factors such as skin color, race, gender, physiology, and so forth. The Federal Register
Actually, state agencies and institutions of higher learning have continued to rely upon the Supreme Court decisions and federal legislation to enforce the policies of affirmative action since 1978. While there are no definitive answers on whether affirmative action policies and programs are necessary, scholars and civic leaders have been engaged in hot debates to determine the implications of measures to dismantle affirmative action policies and programs. There are various
In addition to changes in admission policies at universities, new workshops in education are beginning to address this issue head on, with teaching participants being taught that American history and education are both "written from the perspective of whites and that laws and policies benefit whites while putting minorities at an immediate disadvantage." (Fernandez, 1) This has helped to redirect the perspective on Affirmative Action within the profession, where
Affirmative Action At its most objective definition, affirmative action entails "positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded." Affirmative action acknowledges the presence of institutionalized and systematic forms of discrimination: which may not be apparent to members of the dominant or privileged culture. For example, white males will not even notice that no Blacks
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