scholarly journals Affirmative action or managing diversity: what is the future of equal opportunity policies in organisations?

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 196-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenda Strachan ◽  
John Burgess ◽  
Anne Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Equal Employment Opportunity ◽  
Main Process ◽  
Unique Form ◽  
Managing Diversity ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
Policy Shift ◽  
Management Policies

Equal employment opportunity policies were introduced in Australia in the 1980s in response to women's disadvantaged workforce position. Australia's unique form of affirmative action was underpinned by legislation, and aimed to promote gender equity in the workplace via employer action. Throughout the 1990s there has been a policy shift away from collectivism towards individualism, and away from externally driven social programmes at the workplace towards managerialist driven social programmes. The main process for implementing progressive and inclusive equity programmes at the workplace is through human resource management policies that link employment diversity to organisational objectives (for example, productivity and profitability). Programmes titled “Managing diversity” have been introduced into some organisations, and today there are a variety of approaches towards equity policies in Australian organisations. The article proposes that a distinctive Australian version of managing diversity will develop in some organisations based on the prior national legislative framework.

scholarly journals Gender Affirmative Action and Management: A Systematic Literature Review on How Diversity and Inclusion Management Affect Gender Equity in Organizations

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Julia V. Furtado ◽  
António C. Moreira ◽  
Jorge Mota
Keyword(s):  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
Equal Employment Opportunity ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Controversial Topic ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Common ◽  
Prior Experiences

Gender affirmative action (AA) in management remains a controversial topic among scholars, practitioners, and employees. While some individuals may support the use of AA policies as a means of increasing representation of women, others are not supportive at all, further understanding gender AA as an unacceptable violation of merit—even when targeted by it. With the aim of analyzing how scholars have approached the subject, we systematically reviewed 76 published articles (SCOPUS database), covering the extant literature on gender AA and management. Findings indicate a consensus regarding the common antecedents of attitudes towards gender AA with prior experiences with AA and diversity management (DM) (as well as general perceptions of AA). Performance and satisfaction appear as the predominant outcomes. In addition, while investigating the differences among AA, equal employment opportunity (EEO) and diversity management (DM), scholars are mainly focused on the effectiveness of AA as a means of increasing the inclusion of minorities in general. We conclude that despite marginal studies on employees’ attitudes toward gender AA, there is a gap in the literature, particularly an absence of research on the bivalent position of meritocracy (or merit violation) as both an antecedent and outcome of attitudes towards AA, which deserves further scrutiny.

Affirmative Action: Lessons to Be Learned from the United States' Experience?

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrid Kersten
Keyword(s):  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
The United States ◽  
Equal Employment Opportunity ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Status ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
States Experience ◽  
Status Of Women

Bidraget er ikke tilgængeligt elektronisk.Abstract:This article discusses the issue of Affirmative Action, as it has been implemented in the US context over the past 35 years. It explores the legal and operational nature of AA in the US, its accomplishments with regard to improving the status of women in the US workforce, and alternative ways in which AA can be applied effectively in the European context. Is is argued that AA is both a useful and necessary tool for combatting gender discrimination in the workplace - without AA, basic issues of accountability and progress are very difficult to operationalize, leaving the goal of equal employment opportunity in the realm of idealistic abstraction. Should European contries decide to use AA, the U.S. experience can provide many useful lessons regarding the need for education, the need for a proper legislative framework, and the need to supplement this legislation with internal company development efforts.

scholarly journals The Anatomy Of EEOs Level Playing Field

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-58
Author(s):  
Edward L. Powers
Keyword(s):  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Equal Employment Opportunity ◽  
Barack Obama ◽  
Employment Opportunity ◽  
Level Playing Field ◽  
Hillary Clinton ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Equal Employment ◽  
The Future ◽  
Sarah Palin

The election of President Barack Obama, and the candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin raise the issue of whether we continue to need equal employment opportunity and/or affirmative action. The concept of a level playing field is carefully developed, and provides a basis for a more thorough analysis of the future of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action.

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