Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimi

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in employment based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. Executive Orders 11246 and 11375 require employers with federal contracts to act affirmatively in hiring employees. What is the difference between not discriminating and acting affirmatively?

Solution

Not making any discrimination or prohibiting discrimination, means offering equal opportunity to all the candidates irrespective of their race, color, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation among the others, whereas affirmative action helps employers to recruit individuals from the minority groups, women, disabled individuals and veteran people. So, anti-discrimination laws prohibit employers from making any discrimination, but affirmative action helps employers to deliver justice to those groups of people who have suffered in the past. So, employers act proactively to deliver the justified representation in the organization.
Thus, anti-discrimination laws promote equal opportunities and at the same time, affirmative laws help to encourage those who were deprived of their rights in the past.