Affirmative action is a policy that aims to increase opportunities in the workplace or education to underrepresented parts of society by taking into account an individual’s color, race, sex, religion, or national origin.government entities implement affirmative action programs to increase the number of people from certain groups within companies, institutions, and other areas of society. The policy focuses on demographics who have historically had low representation in positions of leadership, professional roles, and academics, and is often considered a means of countering historical discrimination against particular groups.