Define affirmative action?

Social Psychology (10th Edition)
10th Edition
ISBN:9780134641287
Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Publisher:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Chapter1: Introducing Social Psychology
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Define affirmative action?

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Introduction

Affirmative action refers to the action that promotes inclusiveness by creating economic and political opportunities to enhance minority groups and underrepresented sections or groups of people based on their gender, race, religion, culture, or nation.

Affirmative action was introduced in the United States in the 1960s to address the African-American community's inequalities and uplift their social status. 

Explanation

Max Weber, a classical sociologist, shares his views on social action types in his social action theory. Affirmative action would represent rational, purposive, or goal-orientated social action based on ends and means at a macroscopic level. In the case of affirmative action, it is driven by representing minority and underrepresented groups of people. The means employed to achieve this end represent the policies and initiatives of the state or organization.

From the Marxist perspective, affirmative action may be viewed as the tool to promoted social stratification and class disparity even further. The policies and initiatives tend to reaffirm and solidify the social status and hierarchical position of the minority groups or underrepresented sections of people by highlighting the differences compared to society's mainstream section. 

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