Ethics of Affirmative Action

The concept of affirmative action is referred to as reverse discrimination, where policies are implemented to remedy past discrimination faced by minority groups. However, justifying current discrimination against non-minority groups in response to earlier discrimination cannot be considered an ethical act. Instead, organizations should strive for equality and equitability for all employees, regardless of their culture, ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender or social group.

Running Head: Human Resource Management
Recruitment and Selection

Human Resource Management 1
Do you feel that affirmative action is a good way to remedy past
discrimination? Why or Why not?
Affirmative action is referred to as reverse discrimination. Often people belonging to several
minority groups are discriminated in the past and this is an unethical act. Affirmative action can
be defined as some of the strategies that are undertaken to remedy against the past discrimination
on some minority groups through justifying the current discrimination against the non-minorities
in the community (Schuck, 2002). If the American government and the several institutions like
the corporate, the universities and other institutions develop policies that attempt to discriminate
the non-minority group as a response to the earlier discrimination faced by the minority groups
in the society, then that cannot be termed as an ethical act. This is because the solution for a past
discrimination can never be justified through presently discriminating the non-minority group of
the society. Such policies and regulations should be undertaken by the different organizations
where equality and equitability is observed for all the personnel, instead of implementing
discriminating policies towards some specific groups in the community, whether it is a minority
group or a non-minority group. So, an affirmative action in the present context is where the non-
minority group is made a target of discriminating policies like the same way in which the
minority groups were discriminated in the past, can never be justified in my opinion. Two wrong
actions cannot make a right one. Therefore, affirmative action should reflect equal rights and
opportunities for all the employees within the organization, irrespective of their culture,
ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender or social group (Napikoski, 2019).

Human Resource Management 2
References
Napikoski, L. (2019). Affirmative Action Overview. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/affirmative-action-overview-3528265
Schuck, P. H. (2002). Affirmative Action: Don’t Mend It or End It – Bend It. Retrieved from
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/affirmative-action-dont-mend-it-or-end-it-bend-it/