What I learned in school about Affirmative Action is that it is strictly a recruitment policy: that if your company has over a certain number of workers, you might expect that your employees would be roughly representative of the general population in your area, and if they're not, then you should examine your hiring practices to make sure that you are not discriminating. If there are populations that are under-represented, then you should recruit more heavily in areas where you are more likely to find the diversity that you lack (physical locations, relevant media ads, etc.). From what you have said, this is incorrect, but I always thought that it seemed sensible - it doesn't impose quotas or demand the hiring of unqualified workers, but it helps identify potential biases in hiring, and discover qualified candidates who may never have otherwise been aware of the job opportunities.
What I learned in school about Affirmative Action is that it is strictly a recruitment policy: that if your company has over a certain number of workers, you might expect that your employees would be roughly representative of the general population in your area, and if they're not, then you should examine your hiring practices to make sure that you are not discriminating. If there are populations that are under-represented, then you should recruit more heavily in areas where you are more likely to find the diversity that you lack (physical locations, relevant media ads, etc.). From what you have said, this is incorrect, but I always thought that it seemed sensible - it doesn't impose quotas or demand the hiring of unqualified workers, but it helps identify potential biases in hiring, and discover qualified candidates who may never have otherwise been aware of the job opportunities.