Affirmative Action in Perspective

Racism and sexism remain prevalent in societies today. Based on this proven premise, the authors of Affirmative Action in Perspective maintain that a policy of equal opportunity as practiced in America is not a feasible, realistic solution to the "legacy of racial and sexual discrimination". Drs. Blanchard and Crosby have edited a volume which clearly displays their conviction that affirmative action as a policy has the potential to establish a society more equitable than the society we know now. Distinguished contributors to this volume discuss the policy from a level of definition to actual case studies and further, to the theoretical examination of the justice of affirmative action. Throughout the book the urgency of questioning current policies is evident; so too is the need for basic understanding of the realities of injustice which draw the line between the advantaged and the disadvantaged.

Published Under the Auspices of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues

I Affirmative Action Policies and Programs.- 1 Introduction: Affirmative Action and the Question of Standards.- 2 What is Affirmative Action?.- 3 Affirmative Action and Presidential Executive Orders.- 4 Affirmative Action and the Courts.- 5 Employment Screening, Qualifications, and Gender Discrimination: A Case Study of the New York City Firefighters.- 6 Women in Federal Government Employment.- II Reactions to Affirmative Action.- 7 Resistance to Affirmative Action: The Implications of Aversive Racism.- 8 Affirmative Action and Self-Evaluation.- 9 Who Likes Affirmative Action: Attitudinal Processes Among Men and Women.- 10 Administrators' Perceptions of Affirmative Action in Higher Education.- 11 Reactions to Affirmative Action: A Case Study.- III Why Bother?.- 12 Labor Market Discrimination in the United States.- 13 Affirmative Action and Aggregate Data: The Importance of Patterns in the Perception of Discrimination.- 14 Affirmative Action and the Challenge of the Color-blind Perspective.- 15 The Justice of Affirmative Action.- 16 Effective Affirmative Action Programs.