2009/09/02 by Walter Feinberg · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Medicine · #Gender Diversity and Inequality #Legal Cases and Commentary #Law, Rights, and Freedoms
paper · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199284238.003.0012
openalex publication_date 2009/09/02 · openalex created_date 2022/05/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Affirmative action is a term used in the USA to depict a set of laws, policies, guidelines, and government-mandated and government-sanctioned administrative practices, including those of private institutions, intended to end and correct the effects of a specific form of discrimination. It seeks to end the effects of discriminatory practices that violate the inherent equality of persons who, because they share certain attributes such as sex or skin colour, have been denied opportunities on the grounds <italic>that they are inferior or different</italic>. Affirmative action aims to reduce present discrimination against members of targeted groups such as African, Native or Hispanic Americans, women, and the handicapped, and to increase their numbers within certain occupations and professions and at universities and colleges.