Affirmative Action

Affirmative action (AA) is a public policy designed to eliminate systemic bias against members of under-represented groups in employment and education. Although the use of AA is not limited to the United States, it can be argued that it is in the United States that AA has its greatest influence on business, education, and the employment practices of federal contractors. As a result, AA is the subject of considerable debate in the U.S. media. AA requires an organization to take proactive steps toward ensuring that the demographic characteristics of its workforce are consistent with the demographic characteristics of the labor markets in which it recruits. The extent of the controversy surrounding AA in employment and education is a direct function of the deeply felt differences of opinions about the policy's usefulness and fairness. The controversial nature of AA raises doubts about its future in the United States and in other countries as well.

In discussing its origins in the United States, many are unaware that AA did not originate through federal legislation approved by congressional vote. Rather, the roots of AA lie primarily in the executive branch of government. AA has evolved through a series of Executive Orders (EO) originating during Franklin Roosevelt's administration in the early 1940s. EOs are documents issued by the president of the United States to manage the federal government and are listed in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Discrimination-related EOs initially targeted racial discrimination in the armed services and in organizations doing business with the federal government.

Perhaps the EO most influential in shaping today's AA is EO 11246. Issued in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson, EO 11246 requires that federal contractors with 50 or more employees and contracts with the government of $50,000 or more have written AA plans and track progress toward their employment goals throughout the year. It is important to note that while many U.S. business organizations develop voluntary AA plans, only organizations that conduct business with the federal government are required to have a formal AA plan and, as such, are regulated by EO 11246 (which has been amended since 1965).