In reality, women make only 72 cents for every dollar earned by males and black people have twice the unemployment rate, half the median family income, and half the proportion who attend four years of college or more, as compared with whites (U.S. Bureau of the Census). .
Until the workforce becomes as diverse as the nation, colorblind policies remain effective only in prohibiting the upward mobility of minorities and women. Despite the evidence above, many of those against affirmative action plans feel that diversity throughout the workforce is unnecessary and often counterproductive. "The [affirmative action] programs seem directed at somehow ensuring that a work force, a university or business firm more or less mirrors the makeup of the population as a whole" (Zuckerman p3). "Not every ethnic group will be mirrored precisely in every profession; some will gravitate to certain sectors of the economy, others to other sectors, for a wide variety of historical and social reasons" (Clegg, 9). While on a whole, certain ethnic groups may be more highly skilled in some areas than others. For example, most Chinese food restaurants are run by people of Chinese descent, but not all of them. There is no use in trying to pretend that this is a reason not to diversify the economy of which we all belong. It's a poor excuse to maintain a mostly white senior business structure.
The effects of affirmative action programs previously documented show important gains in racial and gender equality. A study sponsored by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs showed that between 1974 and 1980, federal contractors (who were required to adopt affirmative action goals) added black and female employees at twice the rate of those not required to strive for equality. Affirmative action has also helped 5 million minority males and 6 million minority and white women move up in the work force, according to the U.
