Final answer:
Affirmative action programs are designed to rectify past discrimination by increasing job opportunities for minorities, enforced by the EEOC, and targeting federal contractors with past issues of discrimination. These programs support the increasingly diverse workforce in the United States.
Step-by-step explanation:
Affirmative action programs are legally mandated plans designed to increase job opportunities for minority groups. These programs involve active efforts by both government and businesses to provide special rights in hiring and promotion to minorities as a means of compensating for past discrimination. Affirmative action has seen various forms: from outreach to a broader range of minority candidates to specific hiring quotas. The enforcement of such policies, today, primarily falls to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and is generally limited to federal contractors who have been proven to have discriminatory practices.
The existence of affirmative action policies reflects a recognition of a diverse and changing workforce demographic in the United States. Over time, these efforts have aimed to remedy the imbalance caused by historical injustice and have been integral in promoting workplace diversity and leveling the playing field for traditionally underrepresented groups, such as women and certain racial or ethnic minorities.