The whole idea of this action is that over time there shall be no discrimination whatsoever based on gender, race, ethnic profiles, etc. The commission publishes annual reports in which it highlights what it. Affirmative action application or black and white in south africa higher. Africanamericans are traditionally the beneficiaries of affirmative action. White south africans say it has become harder for them to get a job because of a policy aimed at helping to rectify past apartheid wrongs, called black economic empowerment. Opponents of affirmative action argue that racebased decisionmaking. In south africa, these groups are black people including black, coloured and indian people, women and people with disabilities. Essay on advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action.
Affirmative action in south africa does more harm than. Sep 01, 2012 the affirmative action time line goes on and on, however, affirmative action does not fix past racial issues, it leaves issues unfixed causing a present effect on past discrimination. Jul 20, 2015 the disadvantages of affirmative action. Affirmative action application or black and white in south africa. Tokyo sexwale, former premier of gauteng, said that malaysia. Affirmative action has unnecessarily spread to sports where politics should not be relevant. The implementation of affirmative action policy within the pretoria district of the south african police service by paulus hlongwane submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of master of administration in the subject public administration at the university of south africa supervisor. Discrimination and disadvantage in the context of affirmative action. The manner in which affirmative action are implemented, the types of action they require, and the broader implications they carry vary from country to country and in different sectors. Strydom ed essential employment discrimination law 2004 pg 15. This in due course was the motivation to introduce affirmative action in south africa, following the end of apartheid.
Republic ofsouth africa affirmative action policy affirmative action policy version 1. Yet, in spite of this public debate, nationally representative, empirical research on patterns of. Historical context of affirmative action in south africa historically, in societies all over the globe, various groups of people, usually minorities classified according to traits like gender, cast, ethnicity, and religion are discriminated against, resulting in lack of access to resources, education etc. Affirmative action the good, the bad and the ugly dawn fletcheradams university of louisville soc 21001 race in the united states america is called the land of opportunity however, most of the countries citizens are not able to enjoy the benefits that the title provides. Affirmative action and the skills problems are discussed in more detail later. Affirmative action devalues the accomplishments by minorities, because affirmative action gives preference to groups instead of the accomplishments, experiences, and qualifications of individuals who might be in the minority. With its equality jurisprudence only in its infancy stage, affirmative action will provide a difficult challenge to the constitutional court. The policies, although implemented for an admirable purpose, have done the economy and moral of the countrys citizens more harm than good. White people who are more qualified and are working harder can be passed over strictly because of their color. Democratic alliance leader, helen zille, has moved to classify affirmative action in south africa into four distinct approaches. Another disadvantage of affirmative action mentioned by gillis et al.
The justifications and limits of affirmative action stellenbosch. The advantages of affirmative action in south africa is that it has brought the citizens of south africa at par with each other. Pdf on jan 1, 2010, rulof burger and others published affirmative action in south africa. It seeks out chances to create equality, reduce pay gaps, and provide employment opportunities to those who have their culture, ethnicity, or gender as a barrier.
Being able to accomplish scholastic goals, attend a fouryear college, and to have an influential career, are not. Introduction the year 2009 marked 10 years since south africas affirmative action aa legislation of 1998 took effect. One approach is representivity, which is another word for. Nov 22, 2019 the advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action in the workplace do encourage a diverse workspace. According to the phrase was coined in the united states to refer to policies that take race, ethnicity, physical disability or sex into consideration in an attempt to promote equal oppor. What are advantages and disadvantages of affirmative.
Affirmative action is an initiative adopted by the south african government, which seeks to correct the imbalance of wealth and provide opportunities to the people who were adversely affected as a result of the apartheid regime. The disadvantage is that it has led to xenophobic attacks. The justifications and limits of affirmative action. Reverse discrimination many people argue that affirmative action is simply a case of reverse discrimination. Affirmative action in the workplace program or action plan is a tool of management designed to make sure there is an equal opportunity for employment for all. The paper aims to examine whether the south african government and its corporate organizations have been successful in employing women as professional equals by utilizing them fully in senior and top management positions after equal opportunity and affirmative action legislation was introduced by the democratic government.
Chapter 3 affirmative action in south africa university of pretoria. It makes sure that qualified people from designated groups have equal opportunities in the workplace. In some circumstances, a program like affirmative action could promote needed diversity. Affirmative action was introduced to counter the effects of apartheid. Affirmative action in south africa does more harm than good. The white paper on affirmative action in the public service will also be available in south sotho, zulu, tsonga and afrikaans on the internet at. White south africans complain affirmative action policy is. In south africa affirmative action is used as a method of. Affirmative action is a way of making the workplace more representative and fair.
Therefore article 232 addresses the issue of affirmative action by stating that nothing contained in. Empowerment bee and affirmative action aa and not specifically bbbee. Discrimination and disadvantage in the context of affirmative action 1 women and the disabled, was and still is wellknown locally and. As a result, affirmative action can become counterproductive to its own cause. States has not come far enough in leveling the playing field. The paper also sketches the accountability, monitoring and reporting responsibilities of various players within affirmative action programmes. Constitutional standards for affirmative actionin south africa. By giving special treatments to only some people,and not to others, causes racism to become even more prevalent. Issues with affirmative action and employment equity provisions. Affirmative action and the labour laws in south africa. In the early days of affirmative action malaysia was held up as the model of affirmative action by south africa. Affirmative action, a look at south africa and the united.
Constitutional standards for affirmative action in south africa. Racial quotas are unnecessary, they are detrimental to the standard of sport and it decreases moral amongst players and the country as a whole. Affirmative action with its wide array of manifestations, ranging from bee black economic empowerment to special measures within the public procurement sector, was intended to aid south africa in redressing past patterns of disadvantage and realising a more equal society and economic dispensation. The idea of affirmative action in south africa is to give support and assistance to the previously discriminated group, for a better future. Pdf affirmative action application or black and white in south. The question asked today is, is affirmative action still necessary today in the united states of america. Affirmative action in south africa wiley online library. The pros and cons of affirmative action phil for humanity. Employment equity and affirmative action, like other projects of social transformation translated into law, need to be balanced with individual and collective needs of security, continuity and national integration. Depending on the country, affirmative action will be known by different names.
The advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action show us that promoting diversity can be good, but it should not happen at the expense of others. Affirmative action programmes mustbeintegrated withotherhumanresource management anddevelopment practices, especially themanagement ofdiversity. Th e study involved those responsible for designing and. Historical context of affirmative action in south africa historically, in societies all over the globe, various groups of people, usually minorities classified according to traits like gender, cast, ethnicity, and religion are discriminated against, resulting in lack of access to resources. The south african human rights commission the commission is mandated by section 184 of the constitution to promote respect for human rights and a culture of human rights. Affirmative action is the policy of promoting the education and employment of members of groups that have been known to have previously suffered from discrimination. Mar 19, 2010 affirmative action wasnt invented in south africa. The south african constitution has embraced affirmative action as an aspect. Disadvantages and advantages of affirmative action samsung. Affirmative action policies in south africa and other countries have been designed to. However, the first democratic elections took place 14 years ago and yet affirmative action policies have strengthened. Is there a minimum or a maximum disadvantage instead of trying to achieve targets. It is legal and can boost the number of minorities in programs and positions, but there is no guarantee that these policies will help people make a better life for themselves.
The fact however is, that many previously discriminated members belong to the economically middle and upper class families and still, they get the advantage of affirmative action policies. Since its introduction, affirmative action has become an increasingly controversial policy to address labour market inequalities in south africa. In india and nepal, it is called reservation, south africa and canada call it employment equity, while the united kingdom refers to it as positive. The variation in skills and productivity between groups of people ultimately caused disparities in employment, occupation and income within labour markets, which provided advantages to certain groups and characteristics of people. The advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action will continue to spark a passionate debate on both sides of the question.
Thus, the impact might be good for some and bad for others. Issues with affirmative action and employment equity. Equal opportunity and affirmative action for south african. This also gives protections to minorities who commit violent crimes against. The advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action in the workplace do encourage a diverse workspace. Legal evaluation of affirmative action in south africa. In o dupper the current legislative framework in e. The writers of the namibian constitution perceived a need for affirmative action as a necessary condition for bringing about change in a previously discriminatory society. Pdf we will, demonstrate what affirmative action entails, its origin and the. Affirmative action policies in south africa and other countries have been designed to address inequity and discrimination, and to manage a wide range of diversity in all spheres of life. They argue that affirmative action programs are needed as much todayif not morethan when the balancing policies initially took effect. South africa introduced affirmative action in the employment equity act, 55 of 1998. What are the advantages of affirmative action answers. It is thus opportune to take stock, not only of the.
The paper provides lessons from more successful cases of affirmative action in countries such as south africa, rwanda and uganda and makes proposals and recommendations for a programme of affirmative action in political. Primarily, affirmative action was designed to end unfair treatment and discrimination of anyone based on color, but it in effect, it has done the opposite. Years after implementing affirmative action in south africa, perceptions of its impact or even benefit seem to vary from person to person. Furthermore, there is a need to understand the role of such legislation qualitatively, as this has been argued to help understand experiences holistically in assisting to make sense of this chinyamurindi 2012, 2016, 2017. Hierarchies of disadvantage and affirmative action oxford. The eea aims to achieve equity in the workplace by implementing affirmative action measures to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups in order to ensure their equitable representation in all occupational categories and levels in the workforce s 2. Affirmative action is aimed at compensating for the perceived disadvantages of one group. Jun 08, 2015 8 prevailing advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action navajocodetalkersadmin on june 8, 2015 6.
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