In certain circumstances, it is acceptable
for companies to take ‘affirmative
action’ – positive steps taken to help
a particular group that has suffered
serious long-term discrimination in
order to reverse that trend. These
measures may sometimes entail
‘positive’ or ‘reverse’ discrimination.
For example, there may be a set quota
for the number of women to receive
management training by a company in
order to increase the representation of
women in senior positions, if women
are seriously under-represented at that
level. In many instances, rules governing
affirmative action will be covered by
national law and companies should look
to such laws for guidance.