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{{expert-subject-multiple|Sociology|Politics|date=January 2010}}
The term '''affirmative action''' refers to policies that take race, ethnicity,{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} physical disabilities, military career,{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} sex, or a person's parents' social class<ref name="Heinz-Peter Meidinger 2009">Heinz-Peter Meidinger: "Berliner Schullotterie". Profil 07-08/2009 (August 24th. 2009)</ref> into consideration in an attempt to promote [[equal opportunity]] or increase ethnic or other forms of diversity. The focus of such policies ranges from employment and education to public contracting and health programs. The impetus towards affirmative action is twofold: to maximize diversity in all levels of society, along with its presumed benefits, and to redress perceived disadvantages due to overt, institutional, or involuntary discrimination. Opponents argue that it promotes [[reverse discrimination]].
Affirmative action is also known as '''reservation''' in India, and '''employment equity''' in Canada.
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*[[Japan]]. Admission to universities as well as all government positions (including teachers) are determined by the entrance exam, which is extremely competitive at the top level. It is illegal to include sex, ethnicity or other social background (but not nationality) in criteria; however, there are informal policies to provide employment and long term welfare (which is usually not available to general public) to [[Burakumin]] at municipality level.
*[[South Korea]]. Admission to universities is also determined by the strict entrance exam, which is extremely competitive at the top level. But most of all Korean universities at the top level are adapting some affirmative actions in cases of Chinese ethnic minority, North Korean refugees, etc. in their recruiting new students. Besides, national universities have been pressed by the Korean
===[[South East Asia]] and [[Oceania]]===
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[[Image:Dahrendorf.jpg|thumb|[[The Right Honourable]] The Lord Dahrendorf, KBE, was in favour of affirmative action]]
*[[Germany]]. Article 3 of the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|German basic law]] provides for equal rights of all people regardless of sex, race or social background. There are programs stating that if men and women have equal qualifications, women have to be preferred for a job; moreover, the handicapped should be preferred to healthy people. This is typical for all positions in state and university service as of 2007, typically using the phrase "We try to increase diversity in this line of work". In recent years, there has been a long public debate about whether to issue programs that would grant women a privileged access to jobs in order to fight discrimination. Germany's ''[[The Left (Germany)|Left Party]]'' brought up the discussion about affirmative action in [[Education in Germany|Germany's school system]]. According to [[Stefan Zillich]], quotas should be "a possibility" to help working class children who did not do well in school gain access to a ''[[Gymnasium (Germany)|Gymnasium]]'' (University-preparatory school).<ref>Susanne Vieth-Entus (29. Dezember 2008): "Sozialquote: Berliner Gymnasien sollen mehr Schüler aus armen Familien aufnehmen". Der Tagesspiegel</ref> Headmasters of ''Gymnasien'' have objected, saying that this type of policy would "be a disservice" to poor children.<ref>Martin Klesmann (23. February 2009). "'Kinder aus Neukölln würden sich nicht integrieren lassen' - Ein Politiker und ein Schulleiter streiten über Sozialquoten an Gymnasien". Berliner Zeitung</ref><br>In 2009 the Berlin senate decided that Berlin's Gymnasium should no longer be allowed to handpick all of their students. It was ruled that while Gymnasien should be able to pick 70 % to 65 % of their students, the other places at the Gymnasien are to be allocated by lottery. Every child will be able to enter the lottery, no matter how he or she performed in primary school. It is hoped that this policy will increase the number of working class students attending a Gymnasium.<ref
*[[Norway]]. In all [[public limited company|public limited companies (PCL)]] boards, either gender should be represented by 40%.<ref>http://www.lovdata.no/all/tl-19970613-045-032.html#6-3</ref> This affects roughly 400 companies.
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*[[Sweden]]. Swedish democracy, although very solicitous about minorities' rights and integration, does not allow affirmative action.
*[[United Kingdom]]. In the UK, new discrimination laws are proposed in the [[Equality Bill]] published in April 2009. It sets out discrimination laws such as permitting mothers to breastfeed unashamedly in public, prevention of descriminative pension plans and the rights of a magistrate to examine any pay difference between male and female employees and many more<ref name="publications.parliament.uk">http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmbills/085/voli/09085i.i-ii.html</ref> There are strict definitions in equality law in relation to the illegality of all discrimination. Concern is focused on the illegality of discriminatiom rather than
* [[Republic of Macedonia]]. Minorities, most notably [[Albania]]ns, are allocated quotas for access to state universities, as well as in civil public services.{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}}
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===[[Israel]]===
Israel has affirmative action for the [[Aliyah from Ethiopia]] (
==Other types of affirmative action==
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[[fi:Positiivinen syrjintä]]
[[sv:Kvotering]]
[[ta:சீர்திருத்த செயலாக்கம்]]
[[zh:積極平權措施]]
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