ABSTRACT
Affirmative action ranks among the most controversial issues in the United States. To liberals it is the one programme for subordinate groups that really works, the only true guarantee against a resurgence of racism and sexism. To conservatives it is monstrously unfair and epitomises the heavy hand of intrusive government on everyday life. In its simplest form, affirmative action is the conscious effort to recruit people from previously disadvantaged groups for job and educational opportunities. Unlike the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which basically only outlawed discrimination, affirmative action went a step further by encouraging and then all but requiring the hiring and admission of people from targeted subordinate groups. For most Americans, the affirmative action debate centres on two distinct areas: the impact it has on everyday matters such as employment and higher education, and whether or not the policy can perform broader social good.
