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Works ConsultedĪndersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 154 in The Concise Encyclopedia of Sociology, edited by G. 306 (2003).Īndersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy. Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Taking It Like a Man: White Masculinity, Masochism, and Contemporary American Culture. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. A History of Affirmative Action: 1619–2000. Reverse Discrimination: Dismantling the Myth. When Affirmative Action was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth Century America. “Affirmative Action at School and on the Job.” Annual Review of Sociology 31(1):357–79. Word origin of “affirmative” and “action” – Online Etymology Dictionary:.Sex and Gender Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links.Politics and Policy Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links.Highly diverse settings, by virtue of including people with a wide variety of characteristics, can also result in a more equitable representation of opinions and sharing of resources” (Stevens 2011:154). “The rationale for affirmative action policies in the USA includes the presumptive positive effects of diversity on intergroup relations as well as the issue of equity of opportunity for minority group members.This structure was typically created for middle- and upper-middle-class white men, who for many years were the predominant organizational participants” (Kendall 2011:194). “Some bureaucracies perpetuate inequalities of race, class, and gender because this form of organizational structure creates a specific type of work or learning environment.“In essence, legacy admissions operate as essentially a nonmerit affirmative action program for the already privileged” (McNamee and Miller 2013:115).

They see minority preference today as a step toward fair compensation for unfair majority preference in the past” (Macionis 2012:341). Throughout our history, they claim, being white gave people a big advantage. “Defenders of affirmative action see it, first, as a sensible response to our nation’s racial and ethnic history, especially for African Americans, who suffered through two centuries of slavery and a century of segregation under Jim Crow laws.Second, affirmative action means using admissions slots (in education) or set aside contracts or jobs (in job hiring) to assure minority representation” (Andersen and Taylor 2011:258).

First, it means recruiting minorities from a wide base in order to ensure consideration of groups that have been traditionally overlooked, while not using rigid quotas based on race or ethnicity.
