Affirmative action is so called because it goes beyond non-discrimination to proactively address discrimination in society. This covers initiatives and programs to include the marginalized and underprivileged populations in the mainstream of society through access to opportunities in education and employment. This article examines the concept of affirmative action, its origins, its forms, and sums up the debate on `merit' vs. `equity', which frequently comes up in the context of the subject.

In almost all societies in the world, some segments of the population have remained on the margins owing to discrimination against them, in one form or the other. Over time, discriminatory prejudices tend to get deeply entrenched in a society's psyche and generation after generation the burden is borne by those discriminated against. Such discrimination keeps the affected population mired in poverty and deprivation, besides imposing social burdens on them.

In India, for instance, the caste system, which has been in existence for centuries, has perpetrated discrimination against those considered `low' caste—the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs), and other backward classes (commonly referred to as `dalits'). The discrimination is manifest in several spheres of life including access to education, employment, housing, water (like the separation of facilities for the lower castes in rural India), and in occupation of positions of authority. In the US, racial prejudices have often denied the blacks the access to social and economic opportunities. South Africa's apartheid policy that prevailed until the early 1990s officially disadvantaged the country's non-white population—a case of discrimination sanctioned by the State.

Caste and color are not the only bases for discrimination; there could be several others like religion, gender and ethnicity. Again, discrimination is not always in the most obvious ways; it could take subtle forms, with equal effect, nonetheless. This is especially visible in cases of gender-based discrimination at workplaces. The phrase `glass ceiling' that is used to describe the limited ascent possible for women in organizations typifies a subtle variety of discrimination. There would be no stated organization policy that would suggest such a practice, and yet it is felt and experienced. Of course, a more acute form of gender-based discrimination is against women from the poorer sections when they are paid a lower wage than men for the same kind and amount of work.The resulting effect of discrimination against any section of society sustained over a period of time is its marginalization, or economic and social exclusion. Such exclusion tends to perpetuate unless acted upon. Governments all over the world have sought to redeem this situation through what is called `affirmative action'.

HRM Review Magazine, Affirmative Action, Religion Discrimination, Caste system, Scheduled Castes, SCs, Scheduled Tribes, STs, Global Giants, Multinational Companies, Social Policies, South Africa's Apartheid Policy, Organization Policy, Employment Standards Administration, Employment Opportunity Management, Gender Discrimination.