Affirmative Action - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... Since time immemorial, women have always been regarded as the lesser gender in almost all aspects of the economy. For a long time this gender stereotype has seen the women belonging to the lower ranks in the society below the male domination. As a result, a great percentage of them have been barred from decision making opportunities and also positions in society and school (Vidu, 1999). Apart from women, affirmative action seeks to change the perception of persons in relation to racism, ethnicity and gender. According to Sander (2004), discrimination on racial grounds is not a new scene in the world. The mostly racially abused group is the African Americans. Some years back, it was difficult and almost impossible for a black person to have equal opportunities in education, employment or business. Puddington (1995) emphasizes that affirmative actions tend to eradicate these issues in all levels of the society. This paper will focus on some of the advantages of affirmative action. Additionally, it will also cover critics of the affirmative action and detect instances where affirmative action has been useful. Over the years groups that have made initiatives in indulging in affirmative action have increased significantly. The rising numbers of these groups has given discriminated people hope of a better future. Moreover, in as much as people are not involved in affirmative action, there is a wide global support. One of the notable groups is the women. All over the world, women have the same aim of gaining equal opportunities in all sectors of the economy for instance, education, employment and business (Jacobs, 2004). It is evident that the process of empowering of women around the world has been a tune from the past decade. Due to this, there has been an upward trend on the rising number of significant figures in society working for the cause. An example is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah has been credited for her ability to instil confidence among many women in the quest to advance themselves and champion for their rights all over the world. However, affirmative action has critics who oppose these moves in all ways possible. Some people argue that legal practices and courts take positive action to the matter for the purpose of building their reputation. According to Skrentny (2004), some judges tend to make rules in favour of affirmative action groups sp that they can gain more support in their line of duty. Additionally, some affirmative action groups may use manipulation to gain what they need as well as gain attention. It is, nevertheless, vital to note that although affirmative action is for a positive cause in the society, misusing the attention they get is not a positive thing either (Orfield, 2001). In the course of time, affirmative action has risen to be the best tool to use in a court of law. This gives the people the assumption that affirmative action is more than legal practices. In modern society, there are the minority who try to gun down affirmative action. Their efforts have been futile since there is no court or counsel which will support any case against affirmative action. In the views of Ibarra (2001), the minority group does not aim to bring back issues of racism experienced in past years, but attempt to expose the other point of view apart from the affirmative action point of view. Schwartz (2009) indicates that, since the realization of affirmative action, the marginalized groups tend to take full advantage of the global support and gain society class and recognition. The major question remains ...Download file to see next pagesRead More