Social Issue of Eating Disorders
Jocelyn Harwood
SOC 315: Social Welfare
Winter Term 2013
Professor Nix-McCray
Assignment Two: Policy Analysis Assignment
Many social policies in the United States of America are based upon discrimination. From the beginning of our nation there has been oppression of one kind or another, such as the oppression of women or of immigrants who were not English speaking. Discrimination by definition is the just or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially when race, age, sex, or sexual orientation of an individual is used (Google, 2013).
In order to continue the fight against discrimination in the work place President John F. Kennedy addressed this social issue calling it affirmative action. Affirmative action’s sole purpose was to ensure that individuals applying for a job would be treated, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin (Affirmative Action). It was done so by Executive Order.
The timing of this creation of social policy was at the height of the civil rights movement. In the early 1960’s Martin Luther King Jr. was bringing attention to the plight of the African American people and the discrimination they have received since being brought to this country. President Kennedy would and could not ignore this social issue (Vox, 2012).
The intent of his executive order was to affirm the role of the government and its commitment to the equal opportunity for all citizens of the United States in the job market. It was to also strengthen efforts to realize true opportunity for all (UCIrvine, 2010). Affirmative action is also used by Universities around the country to balance individuals who attend their university. The question remains, should affirmative action still be a policy today or did it fulfill what it was originally created to do?
This social policy did not intend when it was created to lead to reverse discrimination (although some believe it has), but was it established to compensate
SOC 315: Social Welfare
Winter Term 2013
Professor Nix-McCray
Assignment Two: Policy Analysis Assignment
Many social policies in the United States of America are based upon discrimination. From the beginning of our nation there has been oppression of one kind or another, such as the oppression of women or of immigrants who were not English speaking. Discrimination by definition is the just or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially when race, age, sex, or sexual orientation of an individual is used (Google, 2013).
In order to continue the fight against discrimination in the work place President John F. Kennedy addressed this social issue calling it affirmative action. Affirmative action’s sole purpose was to ensure that individuals applying for a job would be treated, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin (Affirmative Action). It was done so by Executive Order.
The timing of this creation of social policy was at the height of the civil rights movement. In the early 1960’s Martin Luther King Jr. was bringing attention to the plight of the African American people and the discrimination they have received since being brought to this country. President Kennedy would and could not ignore this social issue (Vox, 2012).
The intent of his executive order was to affirm the role of the government and its commitment to the equal opportunity for all citizens of the United States in the job market. It was to also strengthen efforts to realize true opportunity for all (UCIrvine, 2010). Affirmative action is also used by Universities around the country to balance individuals who attend their university. The question remains, should affirmative action still be a policy today or did it fulfill what it was originally created to do?
This social policy did not intend when it was created to lead to reverse discrimination (although some believe it has), but was it established to compensate
Cited: (n.d). Retrieved from Affirmative Action: http//www.nyu.edu/classes Google (2013, January). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/discrimation Sacks, M. (2012, October 12). www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/10affirmative-action-supreme-court UCIrvine. (2010, May 3). Retrieved from OEOD Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity: http://www.eood.uci.edu United States Census 2010. (2011, February). Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/2010census Vox, L. (2012, January). About.com. Retrieved from About.com African-American History: http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/civilrightsstruggle United States Census 2010. (2011, February). Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/2010census/