Which term describes policies intended to address discrimination by providing opportunities to historically marginalized groups?

• A. Affirmative action
• B. Glass ceiling
• C. Brown v. Board of Education
• D. Title IX

Answer: (A)

Affirmative action is the term for policies that address discrimination by creating opportunities for historically marginalized groups. These programs aim to balance past inequities by considering factors like race, ethnicity, gender, or other underrepresented characteristics in decisions about admission, hiring, and promotion. The goal is to increase access and representation when systemic barriers have limited opportunities for certain groups. It can involve outreach, targeted recruitment, and adjustments in selection processes within legal guidelines to improve diversity and equal opportunity. The other options don’t describe this approach: the glass ceiling is a metaphor for invisible barriers to advancement, not a policy tool; Brown v. Board of Education was a Supreme Court ruling that segregation is unconstitutional; Title IX is a law protecting against sex discrimination in education, not the broader policy framework of providing opportunities to marginalized groups.