Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action
Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action 2
The Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action in the Workplace According to the Encarta Dictionary, affirmative action (AA) is a policy or program aimed at countering discrimination against minorities and women, especially in employment and education. There are those who feel that AA has exceeded its usefulness, and is no longer required. Opposite that viewpoint, many think that AA has served its purpose well, but there is still a steady need and place for this legislation. In this research paper, I will compare and analyze the perceived pros and cons of AA, as it relates to the workplace. Some perceived negative aspects of AA are: it leads to reverse discrimination; quality workmanship suffers because managers hire women and minorities, who are ill-equipped to handle the job; and it is condescending to women and minorities to say that AA was required to succeed. First I’ll discuss reverse discrimination. Reverse discrimination is a “claim brought by majority member who feels adversely affected by the use of an employer’s affirmative action plan” (Bennet et al, 2009, p. 237). “An ironic aspect of a reverse-discrimination claim is that it 's often the result of an employer 's attempt to honor diversity (Flynn, 2003)”. AA programs look at statistics to show patterns of the past, and companies mistakenly think that by using quotas, they can improve the statistics, and be within an acceptable realm for AA. Properly implemented, in all but the worst circumstances, AA is an excellent tool to alleviate disparities, without the adverse effects of reverse discrimination. “A federal jury in Philadelphia awarded $7 million to two white agents for Federal Drug Enforcement Administration who sued the U.S. Justice Department for the reverse discrimination (Tooher, 2008)”. Unfortunately, this shows that when AA is improperly Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action 3 enforced, reverse discrimination can be a byproduct.
The Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action in the Workplace According to the Encarta Dictionary, affirmative action (AA) is a policy or program aimed at countering discrimination against minorities and women, especially in employment and education. There are those who feel that AA has exceeded its usefulness, and is no longer required. Opposite that viewpoint, many think that AA has served its purpose well, but there is still a steady need and place for this legislation. In this research paper, I will compare and analyze the perceived pros and cons of AA, as it relates to the workplace. Some perceived negative aspects of AA are: it leads to reverse discrimination; quality workmanship suffers because managers hire women and minorities, who are ill-equipped to handle the job; and it is condescending to women and minorities to say that AA was required to succeed. First I’ll discuss reverse discrimination. Reverse discrimination is a “claim brought by majority member who feels adversely affected by the use of an employer’s affirmative action plan” (Bennet et al, 2009, p. 237). “An ironic aspect of a reverse-discrimination claim is that it 's often the result of an employer 's attempt to honor diversity (Flynn, 2003)”. AA programs look at statistics to show patterns of the past, and companies mistakenly think that by using quotas, they can improve the statistics, and be within an acceptable realm for AA. Properly implemented, in all but the worst circumstances, AA is an excellent tool to alleviate disparities, without the adverse effects of reverse discrimination. “A federal jury in Philadelphia awarded $7 million to two white agents for Federal Drug Enforcement Administration who sued the U.S. Justice Department for the reverse discrimination (Tooher, 2008)”. Unfortunately, this shows that when AA is improperly Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action 3 enforced, reverse discrimination can be a byproduct.
References: Bennett-Alexander & Dawn (2009). Employment Law for Business. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Ezorsky, G Flynn, G. (2003, June 1). The reverse-discrimination trap. Retrieved 26 April 2009 from http://www.allbusiness.com/accounting/3494493-1.html Journal of Applied Psychology (2007) Soni, V. (1999, December 22). Morality vs. Mandate: Affirmative Action in Employment. Retrieved 26 April 2009 from http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/387520-1.html The New York Times (1995, March 31) Thomas, R. (2004, October 7). Diversity Management and Affirmative Action: Past, Present and Future. Retrieved from http://www.diversitycollegium.org/pdf2004/2004Thomaspaper.pdf Tooher, N