What does Affirmative action mean?

Definitions for Affirmative action
af·fir·ma·tive ac·tion

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Affirmative action.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. affirmative actionnoun

    a policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities

    "affirmative action has been extremely controversial and was challenged in 1978 in the Bakke decision"

GCIDE

  1. affirmative actionnoun

    a policy of making active efforts to improve the employment or educational opportunities available to members of minority groups or women; -- achieved by employers or schools by using various techniques, but excluding the use of simple quotas or outright discrimination against white males. affirmative action is required by law for certain employers in the United States.

Wiktionary

  1. affirmative actionnoun

    A policy or program providing advantages for people of a minority group who are seen to have traditionally been discriminated against, with the aim of creating a more egalitarian society through preferential access to education, employment, health care, social welfare, etc.

Wikipedia

  1. Affirmative action

    Affirmative action, also known as positive discrimination, involves sets of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking to include particular groups based on their gender, race, sexuality, creed or nationality in areas in which such groups are underrepresented — such as education and employment. Historically and internationally, support for affirmative action has sought to achieve goals such as bridging inequalities in employment and pay, increasing access to education, promoting diversity, and redressing apparent past wrongs, harms, or hindrances. The nature of affirmative-action policies varies from region to region and exists on a spectrum from a hard quota to merely targeting encouragement for increased participation. Some countries use a quota system, reserving a certain percentage of government jobs, political positions, and school vacancies for members of a certain group; an example of this is the reservation system in India. In some other jurisdictions where quotas are not used, minority-group members are given preference or special consideration in selection processes. In the United States, affirmative action in employment and education has been the subject of legal and political controversy. In 2003, the Supreme Court of the United States, in Grutter v. Bollinger, held that the University of Michigan Law School could consider race as a plus-factor when evaluating applicants holistically and maintained the prohibition on the use of quotas.In the United Kingdom, hiring someone simply because of their protected-group status, without regard to their performance, is illegal. However, the law in the United Kingdom does allow for membership in a protected and disadvantaged group to be considered in hiring and promotion when the group is under-represented in a given area and if the candidates are of equal merit (in which case membership in a disadvantaged group can become a "tie-breaker"). An alternative approach, common in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, is positive action. Under this approach, the focus tends to be on ensuring equal opportunity and, for example, targeted advertising campaigns to encourage ethnic minority candidates to join police forces. This is often described as being "color blind", although the social viability of that concept is heavily contested by certain elements in the United States.In the United States, affirmative action is controversial and public opinion on the subject is divided. Supporters of affirmative action argue that it promotes equality and representation for groups which are socio-economically disadvantaged or have faced historical discrimination or oppression. Opponents of affirmative action have argued that it is a form of reverse discrimination, that it tends to benefit the most privileged within minority groups at the expense of the least fortunate within majority groups, or that—when applied to universities—it can hinder minority students by placing them in courses too difficult for them.

ChatGPT

  1. affirmative action

    Affirmative action is a policy or set of policies put into place by organizations, companies, or government agencies to redress historical imbalances and discrimination against certain groups (commonly minorities or women). It aims to increase representation and equal opportunity by favoriting those who are typically disadvantaged in areas such as education, employment, and business.

Wikidata

  1. Affirmative action

    Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, sex, or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group "in areas of employment, education, and business".

Matched Categories

How to pronounce Affirmative action?

How to say Affirmative action in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Affirmative action in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Affirmative action in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of Affirmative action in a Sentence

  1. Harrison Chen:

    Everyone's looking for the same story, they don't really care what Some Asian American academic activists have to say. It's always this : Asian kid, high test scores, mad Some Asian American academic activists didn't get in, i'm interested in how affirmative action is portrayed, because it's so very dishonest.

  2. Ray Buford:

    HUNDREDS OF GYMNASTS ACROSS US ALLEGE SEXUAL ABUSE, INVESTIGATION REVEALS Buford, Hardin, Dior Johnson and Tamarion Johnson weresuspended earlier this seasonfor violating team rules after a woman accused them of sexual assault. No criminal charges were ever filed and the players were then reinstated. But the woman went to court andtook out restraining ordersbarring the athletes from TCF Bank Stadium. Both sides eventually reached an agreement after the woman testified, detailing a graphic encounter with multiple players. These latest indefinite suspensions are a result of an internal University of Minnesota investigation into the allegations, conducted by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action. Some of the 10 Gophers players are facing not just team suspensions but expulsion from the university. Buford's father said his understanding is that the number of players grew to double digits because of their proximity to what allegedly happened during the alleged sexual assault. He insists his son will continue tofight. If you can be tried for the same thing -- this is like the 4th different entity -- the more you go at something, the better the successrateis.

  3. Kevin Cramer:

    It was an exciting day to be with the President, and he asked right out front,' Do you have any preferences ?' i said my only preference would be, don't succumb to the pressure to make this some sort of an affirmative action pick.

  4. Michele Siqueiros:

    It's very clear that there is not enough capacity at all the elite universities combined, i have always said to my friends that focusing just on affirmative action... is not a solution.

  5. Lauren Davenport:

    Racial identification is significant for the implementation of affirmative action, the drawing of legislative districts, and the enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in employment, education and housing.


Translations for Affirmative action

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • θετική δράσηGreek
  • ದೃ action ೀಕರಣದ ಕ್ರಿಯೆKannada
  • உறுதியான நடவடிக்கைTamil

Get even more translations for Affirmative action »

Translation

Find a translation for the Affirmative action definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Affirmative action." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Affirmative+action>.

Discuss these Affirmative action definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for Affirmative action? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion
    A greedy
    B whirring
    C tight
    D frantic

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for Affirmative action: