Continued from page 9 creasingly diverse ethnic make-up of the country itself.

Enhancing the purchasing power of previously marginalised groups by giving them access to higher-paying Jobs Is also seen as sensible economics.

Affirmative action has indeed been instrumental in expanding the ranks of the African-American middle-class during the past two decades.

Women, too. have seen their earnings increase substantially during the same period — due again, in part, to government-mandated efforts to redress historic Inequalities in employment.

But females and racial minorities remain systematically excluded from the upper echelon of the US corporate world. White males still occupy well over 90 per cent of the top salaried positions. .

Affirmative action has also had little effect on the poorest Americans. Depending on which surveys are consulted, th^ proportion of blacks living in extreme poverty has either remained constant or increased significantly since 1970.

A few African-Americans who have risen to positions of prominence meanwhile denounce affirmative action as demeaning and counter-productive.

Particular attention has been paid to the writings of Shelby Steele, a black professor who previously believed that African-Americans should be compensated in this way for ■ historic injustices. Steele now argues that "one of the most troubling effects of racial preferences for blacks is a kind of demoralisation, an enlargement of self-doubt."

Because of affirmative ac-

tion. he contends, successful African-Americans are plagued by the notion that their achievement is not based entirely on merit.

Steele further opposes affirmative action on the grounds that it neglects "the hard business of developing a formerly oppressed people to point where they can achieve proportionate representation on their own."

Steel's views are rejected by most black leaders. And despite the sizable opposition to affirmative action among Aihericans in general, it is not about to be eliminated by the country's courts and legislative bodies.

Limits were placed on the scope of affirmative action during the Reagan era. but ■ Congress and the Supreme Court have repeatedly indicated that the 30-year-old policy will remain-in place for a number of years.

KEVIN J KELLEY Is a freelance American Journalist