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Affirmative Action In Today's Workplace
Affirmative Action is still a necessary part of America’s workforce and helps offer equal employment opportunities for subordinate-group members and women.
Affirmative Action is supposed to benefit minorities and women by requiring contractors to not “discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, or national origin” (“History and Timeline,” 2010).
The Purpose Of Affirmative Action
The idea behind Affirmative Action is that all people should be treated with equality. It is important to be in support of such an idea because every man and woman should have the same opportunities to succeed in their careers without being judged by the color of their skin or their gender.
The very fact that an Executive Order like Affirmative Action is needed shows that this country has come a long way since the days of President Kennedy, and the journey to true equality is long.
Discrimination In The Workplace
Today Affirmative Action is put to use all over the country with minorities and women still being discriminated against in the various workplaces from the office to the construction yard.
The fact that a woman can work in construction and get harassed just for being female. Or a male minority does not receive the promotion he is entitled just because he is a person of color.
Such situations show that Affirmative Action is still needed “to prevent discrimination and to address stereotypical thinking and biases that still impede employment opportunity” (“Office of Federal Contract,” 2002).
It is also beneficial for colleges to have equal opportunities just as Affirmative Action is active in the workplace. Racism is not as prevalent as it was in the past, thankfully.
Likewise, Affirmative Action may not be in as full force as it was during the time the executive order was issued, but Affirmative Action is in use and still needed in our present day.
Sadly, minorities and women, etc., are still being discriminated against. With certain improvements like Affirmative Action, there is and will be more progress toward equality. So that individuals can be judged for their actions and not for their skin color, national origin, and gender.