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Discrimination

What is Discrimination?

Discrimination comes in many forms. The American Heritage Dictionary defines discrimination as both “the ability, or power to see or make fine distinctions” and as “treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice.” While the first definition is harmless, discrimination in the latter sense creates a host of problems in the social, economic, and legal spheres.

As a general term, discrimination occurs when someone makes a judgment – usually negative – about another person based on preconceived, prejudicial notions. It is closely related to the idea of stereotyping, where the concept of a group or category of people becomes oversimplified and overly rigid.

Discrimination in Action

In the United States, one of the most commonly encountered, and confronted types of discrimination is racism. The United States’ history as a former slave-holding nation, added to its modern status as a diverse immigrant country, means that race is a very relevant, very prickly issue. Though a myriad of laws and court judgments have outlawed and condemned racism and racial profiling, the problem is far from being solved.

Sexism, or discrimination based on a person’s sex/gender, is probably one of the oldest cultural issues around. Historically, women were denied suffrage, land-owning rights, and other forms of independence. Countless books and essays were written lauding the virtues of men over the failings of women. Though modern society has moved to change these attitudes, men and women are treated differently even today. The famous glass ceiling still stands; recent studies indicate, for example, that women’s wages are only about 77-80% of what men earn.

Other sources of discrimination also exist in modern society. Though possibly not as publicized as the two types outlined above, these types of discrimination are still hurtful to those who are victimized by them. Some important examples include:

• Age discrimination – discrimination against a person due to their age, whether young or old,
• Religious discrimination – discrimination based on a person’s beliefs, and
• Disability discrimination – discrimination against people who are physically or mentally handicapped.

To learn more about or take legal action against discrimination in today’s society, organizations, and workplaces, Contact Los Angeles employment Lawyer Perry Smith at 888-356-2529 today.