What is Discrimination?

Discrimination is the unfair treatment of a person because he or she belong to a different ethnic group, culture... It happens when people treat a certain group worse than another one. An example of this is the movie called "A Class Divided".

The dictionary's definition of Discrimination is: "The unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice".

Types of Discriminations

There are different types of discrimination and listed below are a few exemples. Discrimination to someone because he/she:
  • belongs to a different "race",
  • is born in a different country,
  • has a disability,
  • belongs to a certain age group,
  • is taller or shorter,
  • is overweight or underweight,
  • etc...

    There are a lot more types of discrimination and, it would take month even years to list every single one of them.

More types of discrimination

Age discrimination is or group on the grounds of age. Although the word can refer to the discrimination against any age group, age discrimination usually comes in one of three forms: discrimination against youth, discrimination against those 40 years old or older, and discrimination against elderly people.

Gender discrimination and sexism refers to beliefs and attitudes in relation to the gender of a person, such beliefs and attitudes are of a social nature and do not, normally, carry any legal consequences.

Statistical discrimination is an economic theory of inequality based on group stereotypes. In its simplest version, individuals are discriminated against because stereotypes are held against the groups they are associated with.

Economic discrimination is a term that describes a form of discrimination based on economic factors. These factors can include job availability, wages, the prices and/or availability of goods and services, and the amount of capital investment funding available to minorities for business.

Genetic discrimination occurs when people are treated differently by their employer or insurance company because they have a gene mutation that causes or increases the risk of an inherited disorder.

Types of discrimination

Unlawful discrimination can be characterized as direct or subtle.

Direct discrimination involves treating someone less favorably because of their possession of an attribute compared with someone without that attribute in the same circumstances. Examples; sex, age, race, religion, family status, national origin, military status, sexual orientation, disability, body size/shape.

Subtle discrimination involves setting a condition or requirement which a smaller proportion of those with the attribute are able to comply with or without reasonable justification.