Affirmative action is really quotas. It has always been about providing women and minorities with full educational and workplace opportunities. Under existing law, quotas are illegal. Federal contractors are required to establish goals and timetables and to make good faith efforts to meet them. Race, national origin, and gender are among several factors to be considered, but relevant and valid job or educational qualifications are not to be compromised.
Affirmative action leads to reverse discrimination.
For example, of the 91,000 employment discrimination cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, less than 2 percent are reverse discrimination cases. What affirmative action does is provide the employer with the largest pool of qualified applicants from which to choose. Women seem to be doing well in education and the workforce, therefore affirmative action for women should not be continued. Even the so-called earnings gap between men and women has closed significantly in recent years. Unqualified individuals are being hired and promoted for the sake of affirmative action.