Affirmative Action and Anti-Discrimination Policies

Faced with persistent discrimination, several English-speaking countries have introduced proactive policies aimed at correcting inequalities in access to employment, education or political representation.

Two Approaches, Two Terminologies

In the United States, the term affirmative action refers to policies favouring the admission or hiring of people from historically discriminated groups. In the United Kingdom, the equivalent term is positive discrimination, although the two notions do not cover exactly the same legal practices.

In 2023, the US Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious admissions policies at universities were unconstitutional, significantly limiting the scope of affirmative action.

Quotas and Gender Parity

Quota or parity measures are also used to promote women into positions of responsibility, such as the women-only shortlists used by some British political parties.

Concrete Example

The 2023 US Supreme Court decision, ending the consideration of race in university admissions, reignited the debate over the effectiveness and legitimacy of affirmative action policies, with some seeing it as a setback for civil rights, and others as a necessary correction of a policy considered discriminatory in itself.

L'essentiel

Affirmative action / positive discrimination: two closely related terms with distinct legal frameworks, in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The 2023 decision: illustrates the recent challenge to these policies in the United States.

Exercise: Written Essay on Philanthropy Versus State Action