Affirmative action Essays -- essays research papers

Affirmative action is a term used to describe rules and regulations that were established to protect minorities and women from being discriminated against (Simmons 1982). Affirmative action has changed the way people were treated since it was first brought into order in 1961 by president John F. Kennedy through executive order 10925(Alexander 1999). It helped established more opportunities for minorities and women in education, employment and housing (Dietz 2001). Nevertheless, affirmative action has caused much controversy in our society and whether it has benefited America (Altschiller 1991). As a result, there are those who believe minorities have benefited, yet the dominant group has suffered. Before the passing of executive order 10925, minorities and women were treated unfairly. Before president Kennedy brought the executive order into action, minorities suffered a great deal of discrimination. In the past, minorities were abolished from specific areas. For instance they were not allowed to use the same bathrooms as whites (Alexander 1999). The minorities were spatially segregated from the rest of society meaning outsides did not accept them; they weren’t allowed to obtain certain jobs, live in close proximity to the dominant group or receive the same educational opportunity (Parrillo 2003). After Kennedy, president Lyndon Johnson established several laws that helped establish better opportunities for minorities such as his â€Å" Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1965 and then the office of Federal Compliance in 1967†(Alexander 1999). In addition, he was simultaneously establishing the Fair Housing Act as well as the Economic Opportunity Act. The Civil Rights Movement was one of the major contributors to the establishment of the parity laws. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it possible that the federal level could enforce the law on those who violated it, which helped give minorities the protection they needed from the Dominant group. After the implementation of affirmative action and the laws that followed, â€Å"the proportion of blacks in white-collar jobs grew from 10% to 24% and the ratio of black median family income to white rose from 55% to 62%†(Alexander 1999). As one can clearly see, there were major improvements for minorities. They were given more opportunities to contribute to society without facing discrimination from businesses, educa... ... affirmative action. Furthermore, how much someone earns is usually based on their ethnic background and their gender. Affirmative action has caused controversy and will continue to cause it for years to come.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works citied Alexander, A. & Jacobson K. (1999). Affirmative Action. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research: A Critical Reconnaissance, 23(3) 9p Altschiller d. (1991). The reference shelf: Affirmative Action. New York: The H. W. Wilson Company Dietz, T. (2001). Sociological Spectrum. The unrelenting significance of minority statuses: gender, ethnicity, and economic attainment since affirmative action. 21(1) 20p Friedl, J. (1999). Change. Documentation of how affirmative action benefits all students, 31(4) 6p Gross B. (1977). Reverse Discrimination. New York: Prometheus Books. Parrillo, V. (2003). Strangers to these shores.Boston: The Book Company Simmons, R. (1982). Affirmative Action: Conflict and Change in Higher Education after Bakke. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Thomas, W. Review of Black Political Economy. Mitigating Barriers to Black Employment through Affirmative Action Regulations: a case study. 27(3) 22p