What were affirmative action programs originally designed to encourage

Affirmative action programs were essentially designed to protect people from being discriminated against according to their race, place of origin, creed or color. It has now been extended to protect women from being discriminated against when applying for jobs, internships and training positions. Affirmative action programs can also include protection for different religious groups and people of different sexual orientations, as well as transgender people. Different programs exist for veterans, people over the age of forty and disabled people.