affirmative

Related to affirmative: Affirmative Covenants

affirmative action

A policy that promotes the recruitment or advancement of individuals from specific groups that have been the target of discrimination (as relates to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, etc.) so as to create a more diverse environment, especially as a means to counter discrimination against those groups. Primarily heard in US, South Africa. While some people view affirmative action as an unfair hiring method, the company stands by it as a useful means of promoting diversity.
See also: action, affirmative

in the affirmative

Showing one's assent. Dave answered in the affirmative, so he'll definitely be at the party.
See also: affirmative
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

in the affirmative

in the form of an answer that means yes. The soldier answered in the affirmative by nodding his head "yes." My manager's response was in the affirmative.
See also: affirmative
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • affirmative action
  • open doors
  • open some doors
  • open a few doors
  • in fact
  • open a few doors for (one)
  • network
  • old-boy network, the
  • the old boy network
  • the old-boy network
References in periodicals archive
Kennedy started to lay the groundwork for affirmative action in 1961 when he signed an executive order instructing government agencies to "not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, or national origin."
DOJ To Investigate College Affirmative Action
Less Than Half of Republicans Support Affirmative Action for Minorities
Support for both types of affirmative action programs differs markedly by political party identification.
Higher Support for Gender Affirmative Action Than Race
Despite the Fisher case upholding race-based affirmative action, the court stated that a public university must exhaust all nonracial methods for promoting diversity and only turn to race-conscious policies after finding that "no workable race-neutral alternative would produce the educational benefits of diversity," thus ensuring that an admission policy is narrowly tailored to the goal of diversity.
In the aftermath of the court's Schuette decision, those committed to inclusive and democratic education and societies are now obligated to first explore "race-neutral" alternatives such as "pipeline" projects that seek to mentor younger students in preparation for their application to universities, socioeconomic-based affirmative action, and other polices using proxies for race-based stratification.
Affirmative action: a major requirement: by removing unconscious discrimination from the admissions process, universities can give all students an equal chance of acceptance
of a personal letter, the former Clinton administration official informs her twin 6-year-old sons that she believes they do not "need or deserve affirmative action" that will consider their race as a factor in college admissions.
"One irony is that race-based affirmative action, as it is practiced in highly selective institutions, really doesn't help the vast majority of Black and Latino students in this country," Cashin said during the recent Lumina Ideas Summit: New Pathways to Higher Education Diversity event.
An end to affirmative action? In her new book, law professor Sheryll Cashin pushes for a fresh look at affirmative action
In Egypt, where quota systems and affirmative action policies are loosely applied, the situation is much different.
Does Egypt Need Affirmative Action?
Even when there were no disputed questions of fact or law, courts often were reluctant to strike an affirmative defense from an action when no discovery yet had taken place.
Fending off the use of a Rule 12(f) motion to strike affirmative defenses
Opponents see the current case as an opportunity to end or curb affirmative action, which they consider reverse discrimination.
Race matters: the Supreme Court has agreed to reconsider the use of race in college admissions
In FY 2002, the Department of Defense required that monies recovered in TRICARE Medical Affirmative Claims be credited to TRICARE's fund-cite, known as a Defense Health Program (DHP) account, rather than the General Treasury Account.
2009 agreement with TRICARE
Writing in The Audacity of Hope, he did not expressly condemn affirmative action, but he did consign it to a category of exhausted programs that "dissect[s] Americans into 'us' and 'them" and that "can't serve as the basis for the kinds of sustained, broad-based political coalitions needed to transform America." As president, Obama has repeatedly eschewed race-targeting (with respect most notably to employment policy) in favor of "universal" reforms that allegedly lift all boats.
The enduring relevance of affirmative action
Forgotten by affirmative action opponents are the actions, pervasive societal attitude towards blacks and discrimination laws which led to the need for affirmative action.
An examination of affirmative action, diversity and justice
In Richard Nixon and the Rise of Affirmative Action: The Pursuit of Racial Equality in an Era of Limits, Kevin Yuill wrestles with an interesting and underexplored question: "Why was President Richard M.
Richard Nixon and the Rise of Affirmative Action: The Pursuit of Racial Equality in an Era of Limits
The literature opposed to affirmative action in hiring, granting tenure and promotion in the university claims that it lowers standards.
Affirmative action, the academy and compromised standards: does affirmative action lower standards in university hiring, tenure and promotion?