- Affirmative Action is an action or policy that favors groups who are prone to discrimination (like minorities or women). It is most relevant in situations of education or employment.
- Since the birth of affirmative action in the 1960s, many cases of reverse-discrimination have been brought to the Supreme Court.
- The theory of “mismatch” is the idea that using affirmative action to place students in schools they wouldn’t normally be accepted to is actually hurting them, because they fall behind and struggle in their studies.
- While research varies, affirmative action in college admission offices is the equivalent of adding 150 to 310 points on an SAT score for a minority.
- In 2012, woman made up 46.9 percent of the workforce, and held roughly 50 percent of managerial, professional, and related positions.
- Management positions held by women in 2012 were broken down by 5.1 percent African Americans, 3 percent Asians, 4.2 percent Latinas, and 87.8 percent all other groups.
- Less than 40 percent of the MBAs earned in the 2010-2011 school year were by women.
- Asian men and women earned 6 to 31 percent more than their white, black, and Hispanic counterparts in 2011 in the U.S.
- Men and women ages 35 and over were studied based on their 2011 earnings. Women earned between 19 and 25 percent less than their male counterparts.
- In a comparison study between the 1999-2000 school year and the 2009-2010 school year, roughly 36 percent more whites received their Master’s degrees, while both black and Hispanic rates of graduation more than doubled.
- The unemployment rate as of February 2013 is made up of 6.8 percent white, 13.8 percent blacks, 9.6 percent Latino or Hispanic, and the lowest percentage being Asian at 6.1 percent.
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Sources: NY TImes, Catalyst, NCES, Dept. of Numbers
