affirmative action

noun

: the use of policies, legislation, programs, and procedures to improve the educational or employment opportunities of members of certain demographic groups (such as minority groups, women, and older people) as a remedy to the effects of long-standing discrimination against such groups

Note: Affirmative action gives limited preference to qualified groups (which may include racial and ethnic minorities, women, older people, people with disabilities, and some veterans) in job hiring, admission to institutions of higher education, the awarding of government contracts, and other social benefits.

The term affirmative action was … used in an executive order issued by President Johnson in 1965, which banned all federal contractors and subcontractors, as well as unions involved in federal work, from practicing employment discrimination.

—Michael L. Levine

Unlike previous measures, such as the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965, which prohibited discrimination, the goal of affirmative action was to adopt a proactive approach to redressing past discrimination. It goes beyond the prohibition of overtly racist practices by requiring employers, public contractors, and college admissions officers to cast a wider net in their searches for qualified workers and students through active recruitment of racial minorities.

—Shirley J. Yee et al.

Examples of affirmative action in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The philosophical question is whether progressives and conservatives should welcome affirmative action for kids who overcame disadvantages in their youth—especially what’s often the most difficult disadvantage of all: growing up in a single-parent family. —Michael J. Petrilli, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024

Massachusetts officials released recommendations Wednesday to boost diversity at colleges — without running afoul of the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling outlawing affirmative action. —Steph Solis, Axios, 16 Oct. 2024

The Supreme Court overturning affirmative action last year set off a domino effect of anti-DEI policies that rippled through higher education and corporate America. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024

In the first college admissions process since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action last year, Asian American enrollment at the most prestigious U.S. schools paints a mixed, uneven picture. —Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

affirmative action

noun

: the use of laws, policies, and programs giving limited preference to qualified minority groups and women to improve educational and employment opportunities as a remedy to the effects of long-standing discrimination

Legal Definition

affirmative action

noun

: an active effort (as through legislation) to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups or women