GEMAA (Grupo de Estudos Multidisciplinar da Ação Afirmativa)

GEMAA develops studies on affirmative action and the representation of race and gender in institutions

Affirmative actions are focal policies that allocate resources for the benefit of people belonging to groups that have been discriminated against and victimized by socioeconomic exclusion in the past or present. These are measures that aim to combat ethnic, racial, religious, gender, class or caste discrimination , increasing the participation of minorities in the political process, access to education, health, employment, material goods, safety nets social and/or cultural recognition.

Among the measures that we can classify as affirmative actions we can mention: increasing the hiring and promotion of members of groups discriminated against in employment and education through targets, quotas, bonuses or stimulus funds; scholarships; loans and preference in public contracts; determination of goals or minimum quotas for participation in the media, politics and other areas; financial reparations; distribution of land and housing; measures to protect threatened lifestyles; and identity valorization policies.

Under this heading we can, therefore, include measures that encompass both the promotion of material equality and basic citizenship rights as well as forms of ethnic and cultural valorization. These procedures may be of public or private initiative and scope, and adopted on a voluntary and decentralized basis or by legal determination.