Affirmative action, though initially created to redress the consequences of slavery and segregation, must also serve to stem the effects of continuing discrimination against women as well as people of color. Opponents of affirmative action say they want to protect the rights of the individual, and that race and gender are irrevelent. However, the fact is that it has always mattered whether an individual is white or of color, male or female, rich or poor. Opportunities in life have always been conditioned by those factors. In 1992, 46.6 percent of Black children under age 18 lived in poverty, compared with 16.9 percent of white children.
Black babies are twice as likely to die within the first year of life as white babies.
Given these conditions it is not surprising that an American Council on Education survey found that Black and Latino students are less likely to complete high school and attend college than whites. Prospects for minority students in substandard schools remain dismal. About 96 percent of Latino and 95 percent of African American high school students cannot meet the University of California's admissions requirements. The Glass Ceiling Commission, a bipartisan group of legislators, labor experts and executives, was formed to identify the barriers to career advancement by women and people of color. In its 1995 report, the Commission found that white men, who constitute about 43 percent of the workforce, hold over 95 percent of senior management positions.