AFFIRMATIVE-ACTION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE - ISSUES OF POWER, AMBIGUITY, AND GENDER VERSUS RACE

Reactions to affirmative action are, in part, a function of how recipi ents are perceived in American society as well as how recipients perce ive themselves. Affirmative action for relatively powerless groups may be viewed negatively because their group membership is more salient t han that of the powerful and because the stereotypes about them serve to perpetuate power asymmetries. Moreover, affirmative action for Blac ks may be viewed even more negatively than affirmative action for wome n because race stereotypes tend to be more simplistic and less prescri ptive than gender stereotypes. Black affirmative-action recipients als o may understand affirmative-action policies differently than women re cipients. Blacks may be more likely than women to feel entitled rather than unfairly helped. As a result, Blacks may be less likely to devel op negative self-evaluations due to affirmative action. Regardless of self-perceptions, affirmative-action policies are held suspect. Suspic ions surrounding recipients' ability to fit in, their competence, thei r job placements, and their promotions all affect how difficult it wil l be to implement successfully affirmative-action policies. Researcher s have suggested that the most effective method for dealing with these suspicions is to provide more explicit and detailed information regar ding affirmative-action policies and recipient qualifications. No rese arch has yet adequately addressed why this information is not being pr ovided, or how this information should be provided.