Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity: Action, Inaction, Reaction

Action, Inaction, Reaction
1. Auflage 2019
ISBN: 978-0-367-01758-3
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 276 Seiten, Format (B × H): 147 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 667 g

The affirmative action program has engendered a hostile reaction in many quarters. Originating in presidential executive orders and civil rights legislation, the program is intended to combat institutional race and sex discrimination by encouraging public and private organizations to go beyond the mere cessation of formal discriminatory practices—to enact their own programs to end unfair practices. In contrast to the passive nondiscrimination of equal opportunity, affirmative action means that employers must act positively, affirmatively, and aggressively to remove all barriers, however informal or subtle, that prevent minorities and women from having equal access to all levels of the nation's educational, industrial, and government institutions. Is affirmative action, in fact, geared to equal opportunity? Or has it resulted in greater inequality for white males? The authors of this book empirically examine employment in government, industry, and higher education and enrollment in colleges and universities to determine the current status of women and minorities as employees and students. They also describe the machinery of affirmative action, its budget and staff problems, the compliance and enforcement processes, and the results of the program. Their final chapter includes a theoretical explanation for the very apparent resistance to affirmative action and expresses their pessimism about the program's ability to accomplish its goals, especially in light of recent efforts to weaken its already limited power. They close with a discussion of the future of affirmative action and the likelihood of achieving equal opportunity in employment.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Benokraitis, Nijole V.

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface -- Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action: Overview -- The Labored Birth of Affirmative Action: A Focus on Employment -- Government Employment and Affirmative Action -- The Impact of Affirmative Action in Industry -- Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Higher Education -- Public and Private Reactions to Organized Affirmative Action -- Affirmative Action: Reverse Discrimination or Equity?

Über Autor(innen)

Nijole V. Benokraitis is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Baltimore. She has degrees from Emmanuel College (B.A.), the University of Illinois (M.A.), and the University of Texas at Austin (Ph.D.) and is doing research in sex roles and gerontology. Joe R. Feagin, professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He has written several books on urban ills in· the United States, including Discrimination American Style.