AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

PROS and CONS- and Global Examples

Pros of Affirmative Action:

1. Promotes diversity in education and the workforce, leading to a more inclusive society. It
helps to create a more culturally rich and diverse environment, where individuals are exposed
to different perspectives and ways of thinking.
2. Helps to address past and ongoing discrimination, especially for minority groups such as
African Americans and women. This allows underrepresented groups to have equal
opportunities and helps to correct imbalances in society.
3. Offers equal opportunities to disadvantaged groups, giving them access to better education
and employment opportunities. This helps to level the playing field and gives these groups a
fair chance to succeed.
4. Encourages businesses and universities to consider a more diverse pool of applicants, leading
to more innovative and creative solutions. This can lead to a more diverse and inclusive
workplace, where all voices are heard and considered.
5. Creates a level playing field for marginalized groups, allowing them to compete on equal
terms with their peers. This helps to prevent discrimination and ensures that everyone has an
equal chance to succeed.
6. Reduces income inequality and poverty by increasing access to better-paying jobs and
careers. This can help to create a more economically stable and secure society for everyone.
7. Improves cultural understanding and respect by bringing together people from different
backgrounds. This can help to break down barriers and promote greater understanding
between different groups.
8. Encourages representation of underrepresented groups in leadership positions. This helps to
create a more representative and inclusive leadership, where all voices are heard and
respected.
9. Helps to correct historical imbalances in society and promote social justice. This ensures that
all individuals have equal opportunities and that the effects of past discrimination are
addressed.
10. Supports the goal of creating a truly inclusive society, where everyone has equal opportunities
to succeed. This helps to build a society where everyone is valued and respected, regardless
of their background.
11. Promotes better decision making by bringing together a diverse range of perspectives and
experiences.
12. Reduces the gap between minority groups and the rest of society, helping to create a more
cohesive and integrated society.
Cons of Affirmative Action:

1. Can be perceived as reverse discrimination, particularly by those who feel they have been
unfairly passed over for opportunities. This can lead to resentment and division within society.
2. Can lower the standards for certain jobs or universities, as less qualified candidates are
admitted over more qualified ones. This can compromise the quality of education and
employment opportunities.
3. Can create resentment and division, as some people feel that they have been unfairly passed
over for opportunities. This can harm social cohesion and lead to further division.
4. Can be difficult to define who is eligible for affirmative action, leading to confusion and
controversy. This can create uncertainty and make it harder to implement affirmative action
programs effectively.
5. Can perpetuate the idea that certain groups are not capable of succeeding on their own,
leading to a loss of self-esteem and confidence. This can harm the self-esteem and confidence
of individuals who feel that they have been unfairly passed over for opportunities.
6. Can lead to a lack of motivation for individuals who feel that they were admitted to a
university or hired for a job based on their race or gender, rather than their abilities. This can
harm their motivation and drive to succeed.
7. Can lead to unequal treatment of different racial and ethnic groups, as preferences are given
based on race or gender. This can create further division and harm social cohesion.
8. Can discourage merit-based competition and undermine the principles of meritocracy. This
can compromise the quality of education and employment opportunities and reduce
motivation to work hard and achieve.
9. Can be costly to implement, as resources must be allocated for the implementation and
enforcement of affirmative action programs. This can divert resources from other important
areas, such as education and healthcare. 10. Can create a sense of entitlement among
beneficiaries of affirmative action, who may feel that they have not earned their opportunities.
This can lead to complacency and a lack of motivation to work hard and achieve.
11. Can lead to a lack of diversity within certain groups, as preferences are given based on race or
gender. This can harm the representation of other groups within a given field or industry.
12. Can result in a lack of transparency and accountability, as decisions regarding affirmative
action may be based on subjective criteria rather than objective measures of merit and ability.
This can undermine the integrity of decision-making processes and harm public trust in
institutions.
Global Implementation, Affirmative Action
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Affirmative_action#cite_note-14

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination stipulates (in
Article 2.2) that affirmative action programs may be required of states that have ratified the
convention, in order to rectify systematic discrimination. It states, however, that such programs "shall
in no case entail as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate rights for different racial
groups after the objectives for which they were taken have been achieved." United Nations Committee
on Human Rights, General Comment 18 on Non-discrimination, Paragraph 102020. Paragraph 10:

The principle of equality sometimes requires States parties to take affirmative action in order to
diminish or eliminate conditions which cause or help to perpetuate discrimination prohibited by
the Covenant. For example, in a State where the general conditions of a certain part of the
population prevent or impair their enjoyment of human rights, the State should take specific
action to correct those conditions. Such action may involve granting for a time to the part of the
population concerned certain preferential treatment in specific matters as compared with the
rest of the population. However, as long as such action is needed to correct discrimination, in
fact, it is a case of legitimate differentiation under the Covenant.

In some countries which have laws on racial equality, affirmative action is rendered illegal by a
requirement to treat all races equally. This approach of equal treatment is sometimes described as
being "race-blind," in hopes that it is effective against discrimination without engaging in "reverse
discrimination." In such countries, the focus tends to be on ensuring equal opportunity and, for
example, targeted advertising campaigns to encourage ethnic minority candidates to join
the police force. This is sometimes described as "positive action," as opposed to "positive
discrimination."

 Brazil. Some Brazilian Universities (State and Federal) have created systems of preferred admissions
(quotas) for racial minorities (blacks and native Brazilians), the poor and the handicapped. There are
efforts to create quotas for the disabled in the civil public services. [12]
 Germany. Article 3 of the German constitution provides for equal rights of all people regardless of sex,
race, or social background. There has been a long public debate about whether to issue programs that
would grant women a privileged access to jobs in order to fight discrimination. In August 2006, an anti-
discrimination law (Antidiskriminierungsgesetz; ADG) following EU-standards, that aims at improving the
protection of minorities, passed the German Parliament .
 India. Affirmative action has historically been implemented in India in the form of reservation or quotas
in government positions, employment, and education for lower castes and minorities.
 Indonesia. In Indonesia, affirmative action programs give natives of Malay origin (Pribumi) preference
over the Indonesian Chinese in the country.
 New Zealand. Individuals of Māori or other Polynesian descent are often afforded preferential access to
university courses, and scholarships.
 Philippines. State universities implement a modified version of affirmative action. Secondary schools,
both private and public schools, are each assigned a quota on how many students from that high
school are accepted for admission, in addition to each student's score during the entrance examination.
This was done to address the situation wherein a majority of the university school population was
composed mostly of students who came from well-off families and private schools. [13]
 United Kingdom. Positive Discrimination is unlawful in the UK and quotas/selective systems are not
permitted. A singular exception to this is a provision made under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement
which required that the Police Service of Northern Ireland recruit equal numbers of Catholics as non
Catholics.[14]