Affirmative Action in a Sectarian Society: Fair Employment Policy in Northern Ireland

Affirmative action has turned sour in the United States. A policy designed to create greater equality of opportunity and employment fairness for minorities has come to be seen by many as one which gives them preference over whites (and white males in particular). This turn of events may have potentially damaging consequences in Northern Ireland where the American model of affirmative action was adopted in 1989 to promote employment equity and reduce the difference in unemployment rates between the two communities. Affirmative action was to be the cutting edge of legislation intended to contribute significantly to a reduction of sectarian differences. This volume evaluates the success of translating a policy from the context of race in America to that of religion and sectarianism in Northern Ireland. It argues that too much was expected of affirmative action in Northern Ireland for it ever to be successful, and that any degree of failure risks the same fate as in America.