Affirmative action

Affirmative action (U.S. English), or positive discrimination (British English), is a policy or a program providing access to systems for people of a minority group who have traditionally been discriminated against, with the aim of creating a more egalitarian society. This consists of access to education, employment, health care, or social welfare.

Other countries

• Greece Greece has quotas setting a lower limit for women participating in election lists of political parties for most of the election processes.
• European Union 2000/43/EU (29 June 2000) concerns the application of the principle of equality without regard to race or ethnic origin (ABl. EU Number L 180 p 22), anti-racism directive, to be implemented in national law of the member states.
• China The People's Republic allows non-Han ethnic groups (around 9% of the population) to be exempt from the One-child policy, and there is a quota for minority representatives in the National Assembly in Beijing, as well as other realms of government.
• India In order to redress the historic inequity of the caste system, certain positions in university and government are reserved for the "untouchables".
• Malaysia The bumiputra laws are a form of affirmative action meant to provide more opportunity for the majority ethnic Malay population versus the historical financial dominance of the Malaysian Chinese and Malaysian Indian populations.
• New Zealand Individuals of Maori or other Polynesian descent are often afforded preferential access to university courses, and scholarships.
• Southeast Asia In countries such as Indonesia, affirmative action programs give natives preference over Han Chinese who have immigrated into the country.
• United Kingdom Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement the law requires that the Police Service of Northern Ireland recruit equal numbers of Catholics and Protestants (including Anglicans).
• South Africa The Employment Equity Act aims to promote and achieve equity in the workplace, by encouraging equal opportunity amongst all workers. It includes efforts to identify reasons for inequalities and change the employment rates of previously underrepresented groups for a more equitable job market.
• Germany Article 3 of the German constitution provides for equal rights of all people regardless of sex or race. In recent years there has been a long public debate about whether to issue programs that would grant women a privileged access to jobs in order to fight discrimination. There were programs stating that if men and women had equal qualifications, women had to be prefered for a job. The anti-discrimination law (Antidiskriminierungsgesetz; ADG), which is yet to pass, aims at improving the protection of minorities.
• Japan The Law on Securing, Etc. of Equal Opportunity and Treatment between Men and Women in Employment issued first in 1972, provided that men and women should have equal chances in employment. Most workers are still male.