Essentials of Affirmative Action

Although the achievements of affirmative action during the past thirty years had been impressive, the underlying premises on which it was based have changed significantly (Thomas, Jr., 1995, p. 363). For instance, white native-born males do not comprise the majority in the organization mainstream. Half on the American workforce consists of females, minorities, and immigrants. The recent recession and the advent of the global marketplace has weakened the American corporate structure. More corporate executives are focusing on bottomline profitability and are cognizant from the must attract talented employees regardless of race or gender. For this reason, women and minorities are becoming represented within the corporate workforce in higher numbers than ever before. The presence of crucial numbers of women, minority, and immigrant employees has contributed to a far more progressive mindset for corporate managers, thus alleviating discrimination. The most pressing problem now concerns the lack of upward mobility for women, minorities, and immigrants following they are hired.

The controversy surrounding affirmative action stems in the damaging perception that correcting past injustice necessitates the hiring of unqualified personnel. Hettinger (1995) lists numerous misconceptions that lead people to believe that affirmative action substitutes past injustice with produce injustice.

In addition, male managers perceive women employees as becoming unreliable. If women are married, their supervisors fear they are far more possibly than men to terminate work if a spouse gets a task transfer. Women of childbearing age are forced to take in temporary leaves of absences if they turn into pregnant. The presence of children also limits women's flexibility for long company travel.

Male executives at Triton admit that gender discrimination exists in their business and in their industry. According to Ed, a vice-president: "Factories are nonetheless a man's world . . . To become any good in advertising you have to know how to relate to your client; that approaches having to know him, heading out drinking with him, talking sports, hunting, whatever he's interested in" (Seymour, 1995, p. 387). Men commonly don't believe comfortable socializing with women. As soon as such socialization occurs, the issue of sex may well arise. Managers are usually so intimidated by the threat of sexual harassment suits that they sometimes use them as justification to retain women out of male-dominated work areas.

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