Affirmative action, as defined by Schaefer, is "positive efforts to recruit subordinate group members including women for jobs, promotions, and educational opportunities." (Schaefer, pg. 503) Whereas, discrimination is primarily related to "the denial of opportunities and equal rights," of minorities rather than the attempts to include minorities. (pg. 504)
             I started thinking about affirmative action, and I realized that I had never encountered the issue before, even though I have been educated about it. Coming from a rural, agricultural upbringing, there was no real ethnic diversity. Everyone in the town was predominately white, and few minorities were ever encountered. The minorities that were considered for jobs were usually not accepted because they were not as qualified as the white applicants. Many of the minorities did not speak English, and did not have the extensive background in agriculture or the skills required to make decisions and operate the machinery to cultivate the land that so many others had. This meant that affirmative action really was not an issue and neither was discrimination because job denial was based solely on qualifications and experience, not race or ethnic background.
             Affirmative action applies to females in that male managers may see females as unfit or incapable of performing duties adequately. This made me think about my position at Hay Feeders, a confined feedlot that feeds cattle. I looked at the distribution of the work force at my work place and realized that the only females present are the two secretaries and the veterinarian. And even before the male managers of Hays Feeders hired her, they had a vet that was male with no education about the anatomy of livestock. There are approximately thirty employees at the feedlot. This means that only 10% of the workforce are female. The city of Hays is certainly not 90% male.
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