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. Yet, in spite of this public debate, nationally representative, empirical research on patterns of. The roots of affirmative action in employment lie in a set of executive orders issued by u. 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. When the great recession ended in 2009, the overall income. The effect of affirmative action on the reduction of. It is nevertheless an important legislated program that needs to be fully researched and constructively debated to bring change to the lives of previously disadvantaged groups. The practice of affirmative action equalizes local socioeconomics. When affirmative action is practiced in the workplace, it creates more equality within the community. 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. However, the first democratic elections took place 14 years ago and yet affirmative action policies have strengthened. South africa introduced affirmative action in the employment equity act, 55 of 1998. Pdf on jan 1, 2010, rulof burger and others published affirmative action in south africa.
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. What are the advantages of affirmative action answers. Affirmative action in the public service white paper. 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, particularly after the end of apartheid in 1994. Wider working paper 201666 affirmative action policies.
Wealth in capitalist economies is both individually and familybased. It makes sure that qualified people from designated groups have equal opportunities in the workplace. List of the advantages of affirmative action in the workplace. Republic ofsouth africa affirmative action policy affirmative action policy version 1. Affirmative action is a way of making the workplace more representative and fair. Since its introduction, affirmative action has become an increasingly controversial policy to address labour market inequalities in south africa. Affirmative action counters andor compensates the effects of past and continued discrimination, persecution, andor exploitation against minorities to provide more equal opportunities in employment, education, and business. Affirmative action application or black and white in south africa.
Strydom ed essential employment discrimination law 2004 pg 15. In south africa affirmative action is used as a method of. It is thus opportune to take stock, not only of the. Furthermore, the national development plan predicts that by 2030 there will be 90 % of new jobs created in small and expanding firms national youth policy 2015. The context, root causes and methods of redress differ across countries, and various terms such as positive discrimination, positive action measures and others have been used, but affirmative action seems to have gained the most traction in international discourse.
Affirmative action remains one of the most highly sensitive, emotive and hotly debated subjects in south africa. 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. Apartheid in south africa constructed racial, economic, social and political segregation, the consequences of which are still experienced today. It allows individuals to maximize their full potential. Understanding affirmative action 589 ethnicity or race as equal in historical importance to other dimensions of diversity such as social class. 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 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. Affirmative action and the labour laws in south africa. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the funder, ersa or the authors affiliated institutions.
Affirmative action, both for its intended beneficiaries and for society more broadly. 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. This in due course was the motivation to introduce affirmative action in south africa, following the end of apartheid. Affirmative action ensures that a diverse environment can be achieved. In south africa, this does not appear to be problematic, as a majority is affirmed by a majority government. White south africans complain affirmative action policy is. Years after implementing affirmative action in south africa, perceptions of its impact or even benefit seem to vary from person to person. Being able to accomplish scholastic goals, attend a fouryear college, and to have an influential. Constructing racial hierarchies of skill experiencing.
The disadvantage is that it has led to xenophobic attacks. Affirmative action was consequently established to redress the gender as well as racial imbalances perceived to be the consequence of apartheid in the country. In some circumstances, a program like affirmative action could promote needed diversity. 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. 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. The pros and cons of affirmative action phil for humanity. Affirmative action does not kill babies article bogdan tagdiv 12 jun 2014 the subtext that black people are incompetent is widespread and racist and must be addressed, writes nikiwe bikitsha. These are the advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action in the workplace to consider.
Affirmative action was introduced to counter the effects of apartheid. White people who are more qualified and are working harder can be passed over strictly because of their color. In o dupper the current legislative framework in e. The paper also sketches the accountability, monitoring and reporting responsibilities of various players within affirmative action programmes. Background south africa went through a formalized apartheid system of government from 1948 until it was replaced by a democratically elected government in 1994. Ersa shall not be liable to any person for inaccurate information or opinions contained herein.
Affirmative action policies and the evolution of postapartheid south. Affirmative action and the skills problems are discussed in more detail later. In the early days of affirmative action malaysia was held up as the model of affirmative action by south africa. 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. 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. It seeks to correct adverse economic circumstances due to past oppression. 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. Pdf affirmative action in south africa oluyinka adejumo and prof. 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. Government has made concerted efforts to deracialise south africa, most notably through affirmative action. The justifications and limits of affirmative action.
Equal opportunity and affirmative action for south african. Introduction the year 2009 marked 10 years since south africa s affirmative action aa legislation of 1998 took effect. Affirmative action legislation has trumped constitution which states that south africa is a nonracial, nonsexist democracy. Basic guide to affirmative action south africa aapf. Introduction the year 2009 marked 10 years since south africas affirmative action aa legislation of 1998 took effect. Small and medium enterprises in sa have been immensely impacted by bbbee, which expects companies to place a. Affirmative action in south africa wiley online library. Affirmative action in south africa refers to policies that take factors including race, colour, religion, sex or national origin into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination. The goal of affirmative action in south africa was to make sure that those formerly disad. In south africa, these groups are black people including black, coloured and indian people, women and people with disabilities. The justifications and limits of affirmative action stellenbosch.
This list compiled by professor dinesh dsouza in a 1995 book entitled the end of racism is highly relevant to south africa as well. 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. All employers, workers and job applicants, but not members of the. The idea of affirmative action in south africa is to give support and assistance to the previously discriminated group, for a better future. Before 1994, a series of about 25 statutes boddyevans, 2008 enacted between 1948 and 1974 institutionalized racial discrimination. Development approaches and legislative requirements 64 figure 3. 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. This option is usually reserved for specific minority demographics that suffered discrimination in previous generations. South africa has embarked on its own affirmative action programme in the. Having debated and implemented affirmative action for the past years, it is time to focus on the university of pretoria etd motileng, b b 2004 2 experiences of those in the frying pan, the affirmed. Affirmative action in south africa does more harm than. The advantages of affirmative action in south africa is that it has brought the citizens of south africa at par with each other. Issues with affirmative action and employment equity.