Affirmative Action Is a Temporary

Affirmative Action is a temporary solution to the problem of discrimination. Women and people of color have been systematically excluded from positions of power, their candidacy in education and the workplace undervalued. Because prejudices are often deeply rooted and subconsciously acted on, affirmative action is often necessary as a remedial solution.

However, affirmative action is not an ideal practice. Its use has led to accusations of "reverse racism." Affirmative action seems to mean that an individual gains entry to an academic institution or place of employment because of ethnicity, which would indeed wrong in principle. In practice, affirmative action almost never means that gender or ethnicity ensures success. Opponents of affirmative action also claim that less qualified individuals are given preference over more qualified individuals because of gender or racial background. In fact, most institutions practice a type of affirmative action that guarantees that all successful applicants are equally qualified even when preference is later offered to minorities. Affirmative action also does not necessarily mean that a quota system is used. The main drawback with affirmative action is that it can be divisive: it may lead to resentment among traditionally successful groups of people. Affirmative action is also meant to be a temporary remedy, but knowing when and how to eliminate affirmative action programs will be difficult.