Affirmative action is a growing argument among our society. It is multifaceted and very often vaguely defined. Some define affirmative action as the ability to strive for equality and inclusiveness, while others see it as a quota-based system for different minority groups. Affirmative action was originally designed to help minorities. (Gross, 1996)
Is affirmative action fair? Are minority groups on equal footing? Is gaining employment for minorities difficult? Is education easily obtained for minority groups? Affirmative action endeavors to answer all these questions while allowing society to believe harmony exists. Originally designed to help minorities, affirmative action has resulted in the greatest gains for women, especially white women (Boston, 1996).
In 1974, a woman named Rose was turned down for a supervisory job in favor of a male. She was told that she was the most qualified person, but the position was going to be filled by a man because he had a family to support. Five years before that, when Rose was about to fill an entry-level position in banking, a personnel officer outlined the woman’s pay scale, which was $25 to $50 a month less than what men were being paid in the same position.
Rose was furious because she felt this was discriminating to her. She confronted the personnel officer and he saw nothing wrong with it. In 1977, a woman working for a company as a clerk was informed that she should be at home raising a family. She allowed the comments to persist until she was given two weeks’ notice that her position was no longer available. Upon leaving the position, she learned the company had given the clerk position to a man because he had a family to support.
Thanks to affirmative action, situations like the ones mentioned are becoming less frequent, and employers are correcting these situations quickly and efficiently. Affirmative action has helped women and minorities in their careers, but it has yet to succeed in achieving equality in the business world for them. As more and more women face discrimination in large firms, they have decided to strike out on their own. Observers argue that women have made huge strides with the help of affirmative action. They now hold 40 percent of all corporate middle-management jobs, and the number of women-owned businesses has grown by 57 percent since 1982.
Affirmative action was designed to give qualified minorities a chance to compete on equal footing with Whites (Chappell, 1995). Equal opportunities for African Americans, for the most part, have remained more wishful thinking than fact. African American students continue to struggle for an education. Many educational institutions offer scholarships for minorities.
Ethnic minority students can further their education from the elementary level to the Ph.D. level. However, financial assistance alone cannot pay for the racial discrimination that they may face while attending a predominantly white educational facility. In 1982, a young African American man was accepted into an Ivy League institution. His family was proud of his achievements and his potential to become someone great. As time passed, our African American student dressed, walked, and looked like a black person, but to fit in with his professors, he talked and acted like his white counterparts.
Equal opportunities for African Americans continue to be hard work and wishful thinking. African American business owners are still competing against their White counterparts. Society labels and stereotypes certain ethnic groups. For example, when a person enters an electronic store owned by a White person, the shopper continues to look at the items on the shelf. When an individual walks into an electronic store owned by an African American, the shopper may believe some of the items are stolen.
Affirmative action is a written law requesting that minorities have equal opportunities. However, society dictates how the opportunities will be given. African American workers are experiencing an unemployment rate twice that of Whites. The low rate of unemployment is due to low income, low education, and low individual worth of African Americans. African Americans hold dead-end, labor-intensive, low-paying jobs.
Few can argue that racism is still rampant in awarding contracts, jobs, and educational opportunities. Affirmative action needs to overcome the disparities of employment that exist in this country. A recent Urban Benchmarks study found that of 71 metro areas surveyed nationwide, Pittsburgh had the highest rate of employment-related problems among non-Hispanic whites.
