What Is Discrimination?

- Discrimination means treating a person unfairly because of who they are or

because they possess certain characteristics.

-the intended or accomplished differential treatment of persons or social groups for reasons of
certain generalized traits. The targets of discrimination are often minorities, but they may also
be majorities.

What are types of Discriminations?

 Direct Discrimination
 Indirect discrimination

DIRECT DISCRIMINATION - Under similar circumstances, when a person with

a protected characteristic is treated less favourably than others, it is direct
discrimination.

INDIRECT DISCRIMINATION - If there is a rule or policy in the workplace that

puts you at a disadvantage as compared to others, it may be considered indirect
discrimination.

Common Types of Discrimination in the Workplace

- Age Discrimination - Employees over the age of 40 are protected under federal law from
being discriminated against applicants and employees because of their age.

e.g.: employees under the age of 40 may not be favoured over employees over the age of 40.

-Sex Discrimination- Sex discrimination is one of the most common workplace issues today.
Employees and applicants are not allowed to be discriminated against due to their gender, and
are protected under federal law.

E.g.: an employer is not allowed to pay an employee at a different rate or refuse a promotion
due to one’s sex.

-Racial Discrimination- Similar to sex discrimination, employers are not allowed to

discriminate against and employee or applicant because of one’s race or ethnicity.
e.g.: employers are not allowed to enact a company policy that is discriminatory to one’s race or
ethnicity.
-Religious Discrimination- Religious discrimination occurs when a person is being treated
unfairly due to their religion, or religious beliefs. Under federal law, employers are required to
provide reasonable accommodations for employees, regardless of the religion that they
practice.

e.g.: employers are required to allow employees time off for religious holidays.

Factors influencing discrimination

 Prejudices

 Stereotypes

Prejudices - Some people form the opinions about some people or something
without even knowing the real story. It leads you to treat people differently. For
example, what will you think if the son of a footballer makes debut with a normal
kid? You will think that footballer’s child will play better. It is prejudice.

Stereotypes - Stereotypes are the next level of prejudice. When you are a
stereotype, you may have a distorted view bout something. For example, sports are
for boys only or pink is for girls. You get under the influence of stereotype at an
early age. It leads you to have strong ideas about things, people, and ideologies. As
they age, their hate for particular things, people, cultures, beliefs, and languages
get deeper. It leads them to discriminate or show bias.

Places where discrimination usually occurs

Workplace is one of the common places where you may have to face
discrimination. The effects of discrimination in the workplace are severe. You may
not get a promotion at work due to having an association with a particular group.
Your colleagues or junior may get better treatment instead. Some companies may
not hire you due to your race, gender or religion, etc. Or your employer also refuses
to renew your contract or can terminate it.
Housing - Lots of people complain about the unfair behaviour of the landlords and
housing officials. You may also face it if you live in a rented place. These people
may come up with stupid reasons to help intolerable people live with you on the
same floor or place. They may discriminate against you due to your association with
a different group. Or they may also support the other people due to their
relationship with them.

Public places - You may often hear the news of disrespectful treatment of the
people by a group. It may happen in the public places such as market, hospitals,
and sports facilities. People may direct wrong words at you. Or they may avoid you
just because your are not same as them. You may face discrimination in the school
as well. The effects of discrimination in schools or anywhere are tough to deal with.

Politics/ Voting - In many countries, you may not have the right to vote or may
disenfranchise. Things may turn out this way because you belong to particular
religion, society or culture. Or if your political views do not match with the active
government. Furthermore, a government may not allow you to enter politics if you
have a negative image.

Access to funds or credit - People often face discrimination when it comes to

getting funds or credit. If you come from backward or low-income family, you may
have to deal with the same. It may also happen due to your race, religion or some
other reasons.

Law or police - Law and police are also not behind when it comes to discriminating
against the people. They may treat you differently due to your religion or culture.
They may also have a problem with your skin colour or dress often.

Travel or tourism - Moreover, you may not get a visa or may face harassment
from the security officials at the airport. Or they may not treat you in the right way.
It can happen because you have a different name or live in a specific country, etc.

Effects of discrimination on the victim: Emotional and physical

impacts

The emotional or mental impact is even tougher to deal with. You may feel
anxious, sad, guilty, empty or depressed. You may not have an interest in doing the
tasks you enjoy doing, and you may also lose hunger. Mental or emotional are long
term effects of discrimination. It gradually affects your physical health.

Social, educational and financial impacts - Harassment or discrimination may

also hurt victim socially as well as financially. It may also affect your educational
life. As a victim, you may feel confused and broken. You may lose trust on the
people. It is also possible that you will take to drugs to run away from what
happened.

Effects of discrimination on society and businesses -It is not possible for a

society to develop at a fast pace if it is not free of discrimination. Conflicts due to
race, gender and religion, etc. hinder the progress of the society much. Racism is
one of the common problems in the society now. The effects of racial discrimination
on society are severe so, the effects of racial discrimination on society are severe.
You can say the same for other factors as well. Businesses may also find it tough to
achieve their goals if they do not take action strict actions against bias. Employees
may feel disappointed, and their interest can get lower in work. Discriminate may
also affect the trust and confidence of the employees. This way companies may lose
the talented people.

Impacts of discrimination on politics - Harassment and victimization have led

to many wars and conflicts in many countries. You may feel fed up with the
politicians or a particular group’s actions in such situation. It may lead you to
counteract and it neither good for you or the country.

Effects of discrimination on the culprit - Lawmakers have made strict laws for
the people who discriminate. Whether you are aware of your acts or not, you have
to face the actions from the judiciary. Any individual can take the legal action
against the culprit. The culprit has to obey the decision that Judiciary takes.

How to cope?
1. Focus on your strengths. Focusing on your core values, beliefs and
perceived strengths can motivate people to succeed, and may even buffer
the negative effects of bias. Overcoming hardship can also make people
more resilient and better able to face future challenges

2. Seek support systems. One problem with discrimination is that people can
internalize others’ negative beliefs, even when they’re false. You may start
to believe you’re not good enough. But family and friends can remind you of
your worth and help you reframe those faulty beliefs.

3. Get involved. Support doesn’t have to come from people in your family or
circle of friends. You can get involved with like-minded groups and
 organizations, whether locally or online. It can help to know there are other
people who have had similar experiences to yours.
4. Help yourself think clearly. Being the target of discrimination can stir up
a lot of strong emotions including anger, sadness and embarrassment. Such
experiences often trigger a physiological response, too; they can increase
your blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature.
5. Don’t dwell. When you’ve experienced discrimination, it can be really hard
to just shake it off. People often get stuck on episodes of discrimination, in
part because they’re not sure how to handle those experiences. In a calmer
moment, it might be helpful to talk over the ways you can cope with similar
experiences in the future. Try to come up with a plan for how you might
respond or what you could do differently next time. Once you’ve determined
how to respond, try to leave the incident behind you as you go on with your
day.

6. Seek professional help. Discrimination is difficult to deal with, and is often

associated with symptoms of depression. Psychologists are experts in
helping people manage symptoms of stress and depression, and can help
you find healthy ways to cope.