The topic of affirmative action is controversial in American society, one that divides individuals as much as gun control or abortion. On the one hand, many individuals view affirmative action as a means of redressing the systemic discrimination against minorities and women in corporate America. On the other hand, many individuals feel affirmative action is discrimination in reverse, affording employment to less qualified candidates merely because of race or gender. Despite those who feel affirmative action is reverse discrimination, in actuality it is an effective policy that has helped redress the systemized discrimination against minorities and women in employment and education.
Executive Order 10925, creating the Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, was signed by President John F. Kennedy. The commission would eventually evolve into todayÆs Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the main government agency in place to protect workers from discrimination. It would be President Lyndon B. Johnson, however, who would gather together 300 corporate CEOs after signing the Civil Rights Act in 1964 to ôdiscuss integrating our nationÆs workplaces, schools, and economic institutionsö (Shelton 1998, 1). Affirmative action has gone a long way toward redressing the systemic discrimination against women and minorities. More women and minorities are employed in management positions and graduating from universities and colleges than even before in American history.
Largely because of the success of affirmative action policies, many individuals argue that these policies are no longer necessary. Racial and gender quotas imposed by federal legislation harm whites who are qualified but lose employment or academic positions, or so the argument goes. Despite such opposition to affirmative action, it is still very necessary. Because of years of systematize and institutional discrimination against women and minorities,...