Politics: Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action continues to be a large topic of debate. There have been several court debates on whether it is even constitutional. For those of you who don't know what affirmative action is I have provided an operational definition below

Affirmative Action is the practice of improving the educational and job opportunities of certain groups of people because these groups have faced socio-historical discrimination.

In countries like the U.K. it is known as 'positive discrimination', and is generally used in a positive connotation. In the U.S. however affirmative action has a much larger negative reputation. One of the reasons being that in the U.S. it's a legal requirement for certain employers. It's purpose is to prevent discrimination against employees or applicants based on race, sex, national origin, religion, and several other qualities. There are several myths regarding affirmative action

Myth: Affirmative Action Denies Jobs to the Most Qualified

    This is one of the biggest myths I have come across. This simply isn't how the process works. Affirmative action does not require companies to hire people just because they are black or women. Instead the companies look at Qualified minority individuals just as well as they look at qualified majority individuals. If they don't meet a certain quota then companies can just try again next year, and next year, and next year.

    The court only steps in if the jobs are denying jobs to QUALIFIED individuals. In other words the company is not required to choose an unqualified black female over a qualified white male. Furthermore companies are not required to seek out minorities, or even state publicly that is has an affirmative action plan

Myth: Affirmative Action Gives Away Jobs to the Minority

    I've kinda already explained this but I want this to be clear. COMPANIES ARE NOT REQUIRED TO SEEK OUT MINORITIES. It is their responsibility to apply for the job, and they must meet said requirements for the job. They must be qualified.

Myth: Companies Can't Fire Minorities

 
    Another myth that is often perpetuated. This is just completely untrue. This probably stems from misunderstanding of one of the policies of affirmative action. "This means that a company cannot refuse to hire and cannot fire someone based on their race, gender, sexual orientation...." This simply means that a company can't fire someone based SOLELY on the above qualities. It does not imply that people minorities aren't allowed to be fired.


Conclusion

In my opinion affirmative action is still needed. It is just a fact that white males have  much higher socioeconomic advantages based on socio-historical events.. Affirmative Action needs to be redefined b and framework to block out any misinformation. It provides equal opportunities it does not disadvantage anyone.

References 

http://smallbusiness.findlaw.com/employment-law-and-human-resources/are-employers-required-to-have-affirmative-action-plans.html#sthash.68nhpsOB.dpuf