AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

OUTLINE:

Defination

Advantageand disadvantages of affirmative action

Steps taken to affirmative action

Examples of affirmative actions

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

DEFINATION:

Affirmative Action refers to policies that take factors including “race, clour, religion, sex or nationalal
origin. In oder to benefit an undrrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a
history of discrimination. The forcus of such policies ranges from employment and education to
public contracting and health progmans.

“Affirmative action” is action taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas
of employment , education, and business from which they have been historically excluded.

ORIGIN OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

The term affermative action originated frm the USA. And first appeared in Pressident John F.
Kennedy’ Executive Order 10925.

The term was used to refer to measures to achieve non-discrimination. In 1965, President Lyndon
Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 which required federal contractors to take “affirmative
action” to hire without regard to race, religion and national origin.

In 1968 Gender was added to the anti-discrimination list matching procedures in other countries are
also know as reservation in Indian , positive discrimination in the United Kingdom and employmeny
equity in Canada.

PURPOSE OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Affirmative action is attempt to promote equal opportunity. It is often instituted in government and
educational setting to ensure that minority groups within a society are included in all programs. The
justification for affirmative action is compensate for past discrimination, persecution or exploitation
by the ruling class of a culture or to address existing discrimination.