‘International Perspectives on Positive Action Measures’

This comparative analysis on positive action measures in the European Union, Canada, the United States and South Africa shows that at the EU level, there has been a significant expansion of legislation which provides the basis for activities to prevent and tackle discrimination. In spite of the wealth of legislation supporting the use of positive action, limited progress has been made in defining the parameters for positive action and its application.
Across all countries, positive action measures are seen to be effective in raising awareness of equality issues in organisations, having real impact on minority groups, and improving an organisation’s image and reputation. Their potential contribution to business success is less recognised and is not always deemed to translate into better financial results. The lack of systematic monitoring in terms of outputs and outcomes the time-limited nature of many initiatives has weakened the effectiveness of many measures currently in place. Organisations are struggling to develop robust evidence, and tended to rely on ‘soft’ measures to assess the impact of positive action.
The groups that were reported to benefit the most from positive action initiatives were minority ethnic groups and women, and the least likely to be beneficiaries were considered to be lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. On the whole, it was felt that greater clarification of the nature and purpose of positive action measures was needed which would in turn generate a more positive attitude towards the utility and application of positive action.
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Ethnie; Herkunft; Migration; Kultur Gender Internationalität LGBTQI* Sprache Englisch