Which sociological perspective would likely view affirmative action as a legislative attempt to reduce inequality embedded in the social structure by increasing the opportunities of groups that have been deprived in the past?

This would be the functionalist perspective. This thought is based on the works of Herbert Spencer, Talcott Parsons, Emile Durkheim and Robert Merton. They believe that society is made of interconnecting pieces that work in a harmony together in order to maintain a constant balance in social equilibrium.