Affirmative Action is an effort by the federal government to ensure marginalized groups access employment opportunities and education services. The Affirmative Action law prevents discrimination that women and blacks have gone through for several years. In the United States, the law should increase the number of women in the senior managerial and leadership positions by solving the shortcomings that describe their history.
Important institutions, such as colleges, law enforcement agencies, and healthcare centers must be representative of the populace they offer services. Unfortunately, a raging debate is ongoing regarding the suitability of affirmative action to the American society since the constitution suggests that each person has an equal opportunity to compete favorability.
For the opponents of the law, they claim that its systems, including racial and gender quotas, are considered reverse prejudice. In this paper, it is argued that affirmative action should be upheld because women are still facing discrimination and their participation in politics and economic matters is till minimal.
Studies conducted countrywide suggest that the number of women in almost all fields and professions has increased meaning affirmative action is helping women in realizing their desired objectives. Previously, women never enrolled in courses related to architectural studies, but through affirmative action, the percentage of female students has increased from three percent to nineteen. The number of doctors, lawyers, engineers, chemists, and female college faculty staff has also increased significantly (Felski, 2003).
Affirmative action has not yet achieved its objectives and there should be no claim to do away with it, as this will deprive women and other marginalized groups of the opportunities that the constitution gives them. If anything, new policies should be introdused to make the law stronger to continue empowering the less fortunate. Currently, the constitution does not allow abortion.
The issue is an ethical problem in the American society which provokes a heated debate. Reproduction issues, including provision of free healthcare allowing women to make abortions, as well as helping them when they need it, is one of the additions to be made to the affirmative action. Currently, women are expected to bear the responsibility for bringing up a child, including carrying pregnancies without considering consent, which is unfair.
Women from minority communities, especially the blacks and Hispanic, face problems during pregnancy, but the government does not have an elaborate program to cater for their needs. According to Stanton (2002), declaration of independence in the US is incomplete without allowing women to exercise their full rights. A stronger policy should be formulated and be incorporated into the affirmative action to improve the situation.
While many companies working with the government have been quick to approve the affirmative action and apply it in the hiring process, women and people of color rarely get high positions in these organizations. Law should be formulated under the affirmative action section to make it compulsory for companies including public organizations to give women and blacks lucrative positions in organizations.
For instance, if the CEO is a white, the deputy should be from the minority communities such as Asian, black, or Indian and if the managing director is male, the deputy has to be a woman. This will reduce the discriminative practices widely exercised in the United States. Organizations that fail to apply by the new policies should be punished to ensure equal opportunities.
References
Stanton, E.C. (2002). Declarations of sentiments. New York: Applewood Books.
Zinn, H. (2010). A people’s history of the United States. New York: Harper Perennial.