Abstract
Introduction:
In the United States, affirmative action refers to policies intended to redress the effect of past and current discrimination on gender, race or ethnicity. These policies have consisted in granting preferences to women and minorities in areas of employment, education and business.
1- History:
Affirmative action was first conceived for the Black community.
In march 1961; president Kennedy introduced the term in his Executive Order. He settled an affirmative action program, which had to ensure that employees wouldn't be treated with regard to their race, religion, colour or national origin.
In 1964, the Civil Rights Act forbade any kind of discriminations in hiring at work or at school. Moreover, affirmative action changes up in helping people issued from minorities, on top of forbidding discriminations.
In 1967, President Johnson included gender discriminations in the affirmative action plan. He insisted on the fact that the US government must provide equal opportunity in Federal employment on the basis of merit and without any kind of discrimination.
