Discrimination
Discrimination happens when different perceptions of identities clash. This can affect people’s livelihoods at home, workplaces, and institutions. A loss of personal information (such as age, national origins, and disability) might lead to unfavourable treatment.
Discrimination simplified
For example, due to your occupation or religion, a landlord might choose to rent out an apartment to someone else. This isdiscrimination by the landlord. If your boss treats you differently due to differences in sex, age, or race, you experience discrimination by the employer. You might also be discriminated by financial institutions. Banks may not give you loans or offer different benefits based on your nationality, skin color, or disabilities.
Types of discrimination
Age
If someone mistreats or harasses a person because of their age, it’s called age discrimination. This type of discrimination is most common when applying for jobs or asking for raises. However, an individual may also experience age discrimination online or in real life situations.
Race or color
Race discrimination involves mistreating or harassing someone because of their racial characteristics. Race discrimination includes racial slurs, withheld employment or other benefits, derogatory remarks about a person’s race or color, and other forms of harassment.
Disability
Disability discriminiation is when someone mistreats or harasses a person with a disability. Disability discrimination can include offensive remarks about their disability and withheld employment or other benefits.
National origin
Discriminating someone’s national origin involves harassing a person because of their or their spouse’s nationality. National origin discrimination may include offensive remarks about a person’s nationality, ethnicity, accent, or cultural habits and differences.
Religion
Religious discrimination happens when a person is mistreated or harassed because of their sincerely held religious beliefs (e.g., making fun of someone who’s Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, etc.). Religious discrimination may include offensive remarks and harassment about a person’s beliefs or religious practices.
Sex
If someone mistreats or harasses a person because of their sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy, it’s called sex discrimination. People who experience sex discrimination may experience offensive remarks, withheld employment or other benefits, unwelcome sexual advances, or other types of physical and sexual harassment.
Tips to prevent discrimination
Seek professional help
Discrimination is difficult to deal with, and can cause symptoms of depression. If you’re experiencing discrimination, try contacting a pshycologist to find healthy ways to cope.
Seek support systems
Family and friends can also help counteract the toll that daily discrimination can take.
Inform the authorities
It’s illegal to discriminate. If someone’s discriminating against you, contact the authorities to let them know what’s going on.