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

Enrollment of first-year Black and Hispanic medical students fell sharply in the year after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in higher education, according to new data from the institutions. —Maya Goldman, Axios, 14 Jan. 2025

Students for Fair Admissions brought a pivotal lawsuit against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, asserting that their affirmative action policies unfairly disadvantaged Asian American applicants in the admissions process. —Jack Kelly, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025

The numbers were made public as the UCs faced continued calls to accept more in-state students while accepting more students of color a year after the Supreme Court outlawed affirmative action in the admissions process. —Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025

While the court cases progress, some fear a trip back to the Supreme Court could end affirmative action permanently. —Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 17 Dec. 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