Become a Writer Today

Essays About Discrimination: Top 5 Examples and 8 Prompts

You must know how to connect with your readers to write essays about discrimination effectively; read on for our top essay examples, including prompts that will help you write.

Discrimination comes in many forms and still happens to many individuals or groups today. It occurs when there’s a distinction or bias against someone because of their age, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

Discrimination can happen to anyone wherever and whenever they are. Unfortunately, it’s a problem that society is yet to solve entirely. Here are five in-depth examples of this theme’s subcategories to guide you in creating your essays about discrimination.

IMAGE PRODUCT  
Grammarly
ProWritingAid

1. Essay On Discrimination For Students In Easy Words by Prateek

2. personal discrimination experience by naomi nakatani, 3. prejudice and discrimination by william anderson, 4. socioeconomic class discrimination in luca by krystal ibarra, 5. the new way of discrimination by writer bill, 1. my discrimination experience, 2. what can i do to stop discrimination, 3. discrimination in my community, 4. the cost of discrimination, 5. examples of discrimination, 6. discrimination in sports: segregating men and women, 7. how to stop my discrimination against others, 8. what should groups do to fight discrimination.

“In the current education system, the condition of education and its promotion of equality is very important. The education system should be a good place for each and every student. It must be on the basis of equal opportunities for each student in every country. It must be free of discrimination.”

Prateek starts his essay by telling the story of a student having difficulty getting admitted to a college because of high fees. He then poses the question of how the student will be able to get an education when he can’t have the opportunity to do so in the first place. He goes on to discuss UNESCO’s objectives against discrimination. 

Further in the essay, the author defines discrimination and cites instances when it happens. Prateek also compares past and present discrimination, ending the piece by saying it should stop and everyone deserves to be treated fairly.

“I thought that there is no discrimination before I actually had discrimination… I think we must treat everyone equally even though people speak different languages or have different colors of skin.”

In her short essay, Nakatani shares the experiences that made her feel discriminated against when she visited the US. She includes a fellow guest saying she and her mother can’t use the shared pool in a hotel they stay in because they are Japanese and getting cheated of her money when she bought from a small shop because she can’t speak English very well.

“Whether intentional or not, prejudice and discrimination ensure the continuance of inequality in the United States. Even subconsciously, we are furthering inequality through our actions and reactions to others… Because these forces are universally present in our daily lives, the way we use them or reject them will determine how they affect us.”

Anderson explains the direct relationship between prejudice and discrimination. He also gives examples of these occurrences in the past (blacks and whites segregation) and modern times (sexism, racism, etc.)

He delves into society’s fault for playing the “blame game” and choosing to ignore each other’s perspectives, leading to stereotypes. He also talks about affirmative action committees that serve to protect minorities.

“Something important to point out is that there is prejudice when it comes to people of lower class or economic standing, there are stereotypes that label them as untrustworthy, lazy, and even dangerous. This thought is fed by the just-world phenomenon, that of low economic status are uneducated, lazy, and are more likely to be substance abusers, and thus get what they deserve.”

Ibarra recounts how she discovered Pixar’s Luca and shares what she thought of the animation, focusing on how the film encapsulates socioeconomic discrimination in its settings. She then discusses the characters and their relationships with the protagonist. Finally, Ibarra notes how the movie alluded to flawed characters, such as having a smaller boat, mismatched or recycled kitchen furniture, and no shoes. 

The other cast even taunts Luca, saying he smells and gets his clothes from a dead person. These are typical things marginalized communities experience in real life. At the end of her essay, Ibarra points out how society is dogmatic against the lower class, thinking they are abusers. In Luca, the wealthy antagonist is shown to be violent and lazy.

“Even though the problem of discrimination has calmed down, it still happens… From these past experiences, we can realize that solutions to tough problems come in tough ways.”

The author introduces people who called out discrimination, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Barbara Henry – the only teacher who decided to teach Ruby Bridges, despite her skin color. 

He then moves on to mention the variations of present-day discrimination. He uses Donald Trump and the border he wants to build to keep the Hispanics out as an example. Finally, Bill ends the essay by telling the readers those who discriminate against others are bullies who want to get a reaction out of their victims. 

Do you get intimidated when you need to write an essay? Don’t be! If writing an essay makes you nervous, do it step by step. To start, write a simple 5 paragraph essay .

Prompts on Essays About Discrimination

Below are writing prompts that can inspire you on what to focus on when writing your discrimination essay:

Essays About Discrimination: My discrimination experience

Have you had to go through an aggressor who disliked you because you’re you? Write an essay about this incident, how it happened, what you felt during the episode, and what you did afterward. You can also include how it affected the way you interact with people. For example, did you try to tone down a part of yourself or change how you speak to avoid conflict?

List ways on how you can participate in lessening incidents of discrimination. Your list can include calling out biases, reporting to proper authorities, or spreading awareness of what discrimination is.

Is there an ongoing prejudice you observe in your school, subdivision, etc.? If other people in your community go through this unjust treatment, you can interview them and incorporate their thoughts on the matter.

Tackle what victims of discrimination have to go through daily. You can also talk about how it affected their life in the long run, such as having low self-esteem that limited their potential and opportunities and being frightened of getting involved with other individuals who may be bigots.

For this prompt, you can choose a subtopic to zero in on, like Workplace Discrimination, Disability Discrimination, and others. Then, add sample situations to demonstrate the unfairness better.

What are your thoughts on the different game rules for men and women? Do you believe these rules are just? Cite news incidents to make your essay more credible. For example, you can mention the incident where the Norwegian women’s beach handball team got fined for wearing tops and shorts instead of bikinis.

Since we learn to discriminate because of the society we grew up in, it’s only normal to be biased unintentionally. When you catch yourself having these partialities, what do you do? How do you train yourself not to discriminate against others?

Focus on an area of discrimination and suggest methods to lessen its instances. To give you an idea, you can concentrate on Workplace Discrimination, starting from its hiring process. You can propose that applicants are chosen based on their skills, so the company can implement a hiring procedure where applicants should go through written tests first before personal interviews.

If you instead want to focus on topics that include people from all walks of life, talk about diversity. Here’s an excellent guide on how to write an essay about diversity .

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

  • Publications
  • Our Methods
  • Short Reads
  • Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

  • On Views of Race and Inequality, Blacks and Whites Are Worlds Apart
  • 5. Personal experiences with discrimination

Table of Contents

  • 1. Demographic trends and economic well-being
  • 2. Views of race relations
  • 3. Discrimination and racial inequality
  • 4. Achieving racial equality
  • 6. Views of community, family life and personal finances
  • Acknowledgments
  • Methodology

A majority of blacks say they have faced racial discrimination

Roughly seven-in-ten black Americans (71%) say they have personally experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly because of their race or ethnicity, including 11% who say this is something they experience regularly. Far lower shares of whites (30%) and Hispanics (52%) report experiencing discrimination because of their race or ethnicity.

Overall, four-in-ten black Americans say their race or ethnicity has made it harder for them to succeed in life, while about half (51%) say it hasn’t made much difference, and just 8% say it has made it easier for them to succeed. One-in-five Hispanics say their race or ethnicity has made it harder to succeed in life, while just 5% of white adults say the same; 31% of whites say their race or ethnicity has made it easier for them to succeed.

When asked about specific kinds of discrimination that people may face, about half of black adults said that in the past year someone has acted as if they were suspicious of them (47%) or as if they thought they weren’t smart (45%). About two-in-ten blacks say they were treated unfairly in hiring, pay or promotion over the past year (21%) and a similar share (18%) say they have been unfairly stopped by the police over the same period. In each of these cases, blacks are more likely than both whites and Hispanics to say they have experienced these things in the past year.

Majorities of all demographic subgroups of blacks have experienced racial discrimination

Majorities of all black subgroups say they have experienced discrimination

Large majorities of blacks across all major demographic groups say – at some point in their lifetime – they have experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly because of their race or ethnicity, including similar shares of men and women, young and old, and those with higher and lower incomes.

Reports of discrimination are more common among blacks with at least some college education; 81% say they have experienced this at least occasionally, including 13% who say it happens regularly, compared with 59% and 8%, respectively, among blacks with a high school diploma or less.

Among blacks who say they have personally experienced discrimination, equal shares say discrimination built into our laws and institutions is the bigger problem for black people today as say the bigger problem is the prejudice of individual people (44% each). Blacks who say they have never experienced discrimination are more likely to see individual discrimination rather than institutional discrimination as the bigger problem (59% vs. 32%).

Among Hispanics, higher shares of those who are younger than 50 (58% vs. 35% of older Hispanics), have at least some college education (61% vs. 45% with no college experience) and are U.S. born (62% vs. 41% of foreign born) report having ever experienced discrimination.

The share of whites who say they have ever faced discrimination or been treated unfairly because of their race or ethnicity is much lower than that of blacks or Hispanics. Still, three-in-ten white adults say they have experienced discrimination.

About half of blacks say someone has treated them with suspicion or like they weren’t smart

About half of blacks say someone has acted suspicious of them or has treated them like they weren’t smart

When asked about some things people may have experienced because of their race or ethnicity, roughly half 0f black Americans say that, in the past 12 months, someone has acted like they were suspicious of them (47%) or like they didn’t think they were smart (45%). About half as many say they have been treated unfairly by an employer in hiring, pay or promotion (21%) or that they have been unfairly stopped by police (18%) because of their race or ethnicity over the same period.

Whites are far less likely than blacks to say they have had these experiences. In fact, only about one-in-ten whites say that, in the past 12 months, someone has acted like they were suspicious of them (10%) or like they didn’t think they were smart (9%) because of their race or ethnicity, and even fewer say they have been treated unfairly by an employer (4%) or have been unfairly stopped by police (3%).

Among Hispanics, about three-in-ten (29%) say someone has acted like they thought they weren’t smart and about a quarter (23%) say someone has acted as if they were suspicious of them in the past 12 months; 16% of Hispanics say they have been treated unfairly by an employer and 11% say they have been unfairly stopped by police because of their race or ethnicity.

Black men are more likely than black women to say they have been seen as suspicious (52% vs. 44%) and that they have been unfairly stopped by police (22% vs. 15%) in the past 12 months. There is no significant difference in the share of black men and women who say someone has acted as if they thought they weren’t smart and who say they have been treated unfairly by an employer.

Blacks with at least some college education are more likely than those with a high school diploma or less to report having been treated as if they were not smart in the past year because of their race or ethnicity (52% vs. 37%). Blacks with at least some college education are also more likely than blacks with no college experience to say someone has acted like they were suspicious of them (55% vs. 38%).

With the exception of being unfairly stopped by police, perceptions of unfair treatment among blacks don’t differ significantly by family income. One-in-five blacks with annual family incomes under $30,000 or with incomes between $30,000 and $74,999 say they have been unfairly stopped by police in the past year, compared with 12% of blacks with incomes of $75,000 or more.

Among Hispanics, those younger than 30 are more likely than those in older age groups to say they have been treated unfairly by an employer or that people have been suspicious of them or have acted as if they didn’t think they were smart because of their race or ethnicity. Nativity is also linked to these types of experiences. U.S.-born Hispanics are more likely than the foreign born to report being treated as if they were unintelligent (35% vs. 24%) or suspicious (32% vs. 14%) and to say they were treated unfairly by an employer in hiring, pay or promotion (20% vs. 12%).

Four-in-ten blacks say their race has made it harder for them to succeed in life

Blacks more likely than whites, Hispanics to see their race or ethnicity as hindering their success in life

When asked whether their race or ethnicity has affected their ability to succeed in life, 40% of black adults say it has made it harder to succeed, while 51% say it has not made much difference and just 8% say it has made it easier. The share of blacks saying their race or ethnicity has made it harder to succeed is twice the share of Hispanics (20%) and eight times the share of whites (5%) who say this.

For their part, a majority of whites (62%) and Hispanics (65%) say their race or ethnicity hasn’t made a difference in their success. But whites are about twice as likely as Hispanics to say their race or ethnicity has made it easier to succeed in life (31% vs. 14%).

Black Americans younger than 50, as well as those with more education and higher incomes, are particularly likely to say their race or ethnicity has made it harder for them to succeed in life. About four-in-ten (43%) blacks ages 18 to 49 say this, compared with 35% of older blacks.

Among blacks with a bachelor’s degree or more, 55% say their race has been a disadvantage, while 45% of those with some college and 29% of those with a high school diploma or less say the same. Additionally, blacks with family incomes of $75,000 or more are more likely than those with family incomes between $30,000 and $74,999 and those with family incomes below $30,000 to say their race has held them back (54% vs. 43% and 32%, respectively).

For Hispanics, the share saying their race or ethnicity has made it harder to succeed is higher among women (24% vs. 15% of men) and among those younger than 50 (23% vs. 11% of older Hispanics). There are no differences by education level or nativity.

Among whites, education, income, age and partisanship linked to views of impact of race

While most whites say their race or ethnicity has neither helped nor hurt their ability to succeed in life, a substantial share (31%) say their race or ethnicity has made things easier, a view that is more common among whites with at least a bachelor’s degree and with higher incomes, as well as among those who are younger than 50 and who identify with the Democratic Party.

About half of white college graduates (47%) say their race or ethnicity has been an advantage for them, compared with 31% of whites with some college education and an even lower share of whites with a high school diploma or less education (17%). Similarly, whites with family incomes of $75,000 or more (42%) are more likely than those with family incomes below $30,000 (23%) to say their race or ethnicity has made things easier for them. And while about four-in-ten (38%) whites who are younger than 50 say their race has been an advantage, 26% of older whites say the same.

White Democrats are also far more likely than white Republicans and independents to say their race or ethnicity has made it easier for them to succeed in life. About half (49%) of white Democrats say this, compared with a third of white independents (33%) and even fewer (17%) white Republicans.

Blacks are more likely than whites to say their gender has made it harder to succeed

Black men are more likely than white and Hispanic men to see their gender as a disadvantage

In addition to seeing their race as a disadvantage to their lifetime success, blacks are more likely than whites or Hispanics to see their gender as being a disadvantage, a difference that is due in large part to the views of black men, who are more likely than white and Hispanic men to say their gender has made it harder for them to succeed in life.

Among all Americans, women (27%) are more likely to say their gender has been a disadvantage in their lives than men (7%). On the flip side, 30% of men say their gender has made it easier for them to succeed in life, compared with 8% of women. Still, majorities of both men (61%) and women (63%) say their gender hasn’t made much difference in their success.

Across each of the major racial and ethnic groups, women are more likely than men to see their gender as a disadvantage for their success. This gap is particularly pronounced among whites (27% of women vs. 5% of men), and Hispanics (22% vs. 6%). Among blacks, the gap between women and men is much narrower; 28% of black women and 20% of black men say their gender has made it harder for them to succeed. But black men are more likely than black women to say their gender has made things easier for them (18% vs. 10%), as is the case to a greater extent for white men (33% vs. 6% of white women) and Hispanic men (26% vs. 14% of Hispanic women).

By and large, the perceptions women have of how their gender has shaped their chances of success do not differ across race and ethnicities. Black, Hispanic and white women are equally likely to say their gender has made it harder for them to succeed.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Fresh data delivery Saturday mornings

Sign up for The Briefing

Weekly updates on the world of news & information

  • Age & Generations
  • Black Americans
  • Discrimination & Prejudice
  • Economic Inequality
  • Happiness & Life Satisfaction
  • Middle Class
  • Personal Finances
  • Politics & Policy
  • Race & Ethnicity
  • Racial Bias & Discrimination

U.S. adults under 30 have different foreign policy priorities than older adults

Across asia, respect for elders is seen as necessary to be ‘truly’ buddhist, teens and video games today, as biden and trump seek reelection, who are the oldest – and youngest – current world leaders, how teens and parents approach screen time, most popular, report materials.

  • Interactive How blacks and whites view the state of race in America
  • 2016 Racial Attitudes in America survey

901 E St. NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20004 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 |  Media Inquiries

Research Topics

  • Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of  The Pew Charitable Trusts .

© 2024 Pew Research Center

  • Skip to main content
  • Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Code Switch

  • School Colors
  • Perspectives

Code Switch

The Code Switch Podcast

  • LISTEN & FOLLOW
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Google Podcasts
  • Amazon Music

Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed.

Hear Something, Say Something: Navigating The World Of Racial Awkwardness

Listen to this week's episode.

We've all been there — confronted with something shy of overt racism, but charged enough to make us uncomfortable. So what do you do?

We've all been there — having fun relaxing with friends and family, when someone says something a little racially off. Sometimes it's subtle, like the friend who calls Thai food "exotic." Other times it's more overt, like that in-law who's always going on about "the illegals."

In any case, it can be hard to know how to respond. Even the most level-headed among us have faltered trying to navigate the fraught world of racial awkwardness.

So what exactly do you do? We delve into the issue on this week's episode of the Code Switch podcast, featuring writer Nicole Chung and Code Switch's Shereen Marisol Meraji, Gene Demby and Karen Grigsby Bates.

We also asked some folks to write about what runs through their minds during these tense moments, and how they've responded (or not). Their reactions ran the gamut from righteous indignation to total passivity, but in the wake of these uncomfortable comments, everyone seemed to walk away wishing they'd done something else.

Aaron E. Sanchez

It was the first time my dad visited me at college, and he had just dropped me off at my dorm. My suitemate walked in and sneered.

"Was that your dad?" he asked. "He looks sooo Mexican."

personal essay on discrimination

Aaron E. Sanchez is a Texas-based writer who focuses on issues of race, politics and popular culture from a Latino perspective. Courtesy of Aaron Sanchez hide caption

He kept laughing about it as he left my room.

I was caught off-guard. Instantly, I grew self-conscious, not because I was ashamed of my father, but because my respectability politics ran deep. My appearance was supposed to be impeccable and my manners unimpeachable to protect against stereotypes and slights. I felt exposed.

To be sure, when my dad walked into restaurants and stores, people almost always spoke to him in Spanish. He didn't mind. The fluidity of his bilingualism rarely failed him. He was unassuming. He wore his working-class past on his frame and in his actions. He enjoyed hard work and appreciated it in others. Yet others mistook him for something altogether different.

People regularly confused his humility for servility. He was mistaken for a landscape worker, a janitor, and once he sat next to a gentleman on a plane who kept referring to him as a "wetback." He was a poor Mexican-American kid who grew up in the Segundo Barrio of El Paso, Texas, for certain. But he was also an Air Force veteran who had served for 20 years. He was an electrical engineer, a proud father, an admirable storyteller, and a pretty decent fisherman.

I didn't respond to my suitemate. To him, my father was a funny caricature, a curio he could pick up, purchase and discard. And as much as it was hidden beneath my elite, liberal arts education, I was a novelty to him too, an even rarer one at that. Instead of a serape, I came wrapped in the trappings of middle-classness, a costume I was trying desperately to wear convincingly.

That night, I realized that no clothing or ill-fitting costume could cover us. Our bodies were incongruous to our surroundings. No matter how comfortable we were in our skins, our presence would make others uncomfortable.

Karen Good Marable

When the Q train pulled into the Cortelyou Road station, it was dark and I was tired. Another nine hours in New York City, working in the madness that is Midtown as a fact-checker at a fashion magazine. All day long, I researched and confirmed information relating to beauty, fashion and celebrity, and, at least once a day, suffered an editor who was openly annoyed that I'd discovered an error. Then, the crush of the rush-hour subway, and a dinner obligation I had to fulfill before heading home to my cat.

personal essay on discrimination

Karen Good Marable is a writer living in New York City. Her work has been featured in publications like The Undefeated and The New Yorker. Courtesy of Karen Good Marable hide caption

The train doors opened and I turned the corner to walk up the stairs. Coming down were two girls — free, white and in their 20s . They were dancing as they descended, complete with necks rolling, mouths pursed — a poor affectation of black girls — and rapping as they passed me:

Now I ain't sayin she a golddigger/But she ain't messin' with no broke niggas!

That last part — broke niggas — was actually less rap, more squeals that dissolved into giggles. These white girls were thrilled to say the word publicly — joyously, even — with the permission of Kanye West.

I stopped, turned around and stared at them. I envisioned kicking them both squarely in their backs. God didn't give me telekinetic powers for just this reason. I willed them to turn around and face me, but they did not dare. They bopped on down the stairs and onto the platform, not evening knowing the rest of the rhyme.

Listen: I'm a black woman from the South. I was born in the '70s and raised by parents — both educators — who marched for their civil rights. I never could get used to nigga being bandied about — not by the black kids and certainly not by white folks. I blamed the girls' parents for not taking over where common sense had clearly failed. Hell, even radio didn't play the nigga part.

I especially blamed Kanye West for not only making the damn song, but for having the nerve to make nigga a part of the damn hook.

Life in NYC is full of moments like this, where something happens and you wonder if you should speak up or stay silent (which can also feel like complicity). I am the type who will speak up . Boys (or men) cussing incessantly in my presence? Girls on the train cussing around my 70-year-old mama? C'mon, y'all. Do you see me? Do you hear yourselves? Please. Stop.

But on this day, I just didn't feel like running down the stairs to tap those girls on the shoulder and school them on what they damn well already knew. On this day, I just sighed a great sigh, walked up the stairs, past the turnstiles and into the night.

Robyn Henderson-Espinoza

When I was 5 or 6, my mother asked me a question: "Does anyone ever make fun of you for the color of your skin?"

This surprised me. I was born to a Mexican woman who had married an Anglo man, and I was fairly light-skinned compared to the earth-brown hue of my mother. When she asked me that question, I began to understand that I was different.

personal essay on discrimination

Robyn Henderson-Espinoza is a visiting assistant professor of ethics at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, Calif. Courtesy of Robyn Henderson-Espinoza hide caption

Following my parents' divorce in the early 1980s, I spent a considerable amount of time with my father and my paternal grandparents. One day in May of 1989, I was sitting at my grandparents' dinner table in West Texas. I was 12. The adults were talking about the need for more laborers on my grandfather's farm, and my dad said this:

"Mexicans are lazy."

He called the undocumented workers he employed on his 40 acres "wetbacks." Again and again, I heard from him that Mexicans always had to be told what to do. He and friends would say this when I was within earshot. I felt uncomfortable. Why would my father say these things about people like me?

But I remained silent.

It haunts me that I didn't speak up. Not then. Not ever. I still hear his words, 10 years since he passed away, and wonder whether he thought I was a lazy Mexican, too. I wish I could have found the courage to tell him that Mexicans are some of the hardest-working people I know; that those brown bodies who worked on his property made his lifestyle possible.

As I grew in experience and understanding, I was able to find language that described what he was doing: stereotyping, undermining, demonizing. I found my voice in the academy and in the movement for black and brown lives.

Still, the silence haunts me.

Channing Kennedy

My 20s were defined in no small part by a friendship with a guy I never met. For years, over email and chat, we shared everything with each other, and we made great jokes. Those jokes — made for each other only — were a foundational part of our relationship and our identities. No matter what happened, we could make each other laugh.

personal essay on discrimination

Channing Kennedy is an Oakland-based writer, performer, media producer and racial equity trainer. Courtesy of Channing Kennedy hide caption

It helped, also, that we were slackers with spare time, but eventually we both found callings. I started working in the social justice sector, and he gained recognition in the field of indie comics. I was proud of my new job and approached it seriously, if not gracefully. Before I took the job, I was the type of white dude who'd make casually racist comments in front of people I considered friends. Now, I had laid a new foundation for myself and was ready to undo the harm I'd done pre-wokeness.

And I was proud of him, too, if cautious. The indie comics scene is full of bravely offensive work: the power fantasies of straight white men with grievances against their nonexistent censors, put on defiant display. But he was my friend, and he wouldn't fall for that.

One day he emailed me a rough script to get my feedback. At my desk, on a break from deleting racist, threatening Facebook comments directed at my co-workers, I opened it up for a change of pace.

I got none. His script was a top-tier, irredeemable power fantasy — sex trafficking, disability jokes, gendered violence, every scene's background packed with commentary-devoid, racist caricatures. It also had a pop culture gag on top, to guarantee clicks.

I asked him why he'd written it. He said it felt "important." I suggested he shelve it. He suggested that that would be a form of censorship. And I realized this: My dear friend had created a racist power fantasy about dismembering women, and he considered it bravely offensive.

I could have said that there was nothing brave about catering to the established tastes of other straight white comics dudes. I could have dropped any number of half-understood factoids about structural racism, the finishing move of the recently woke. I could have just said the jokes were weak.

Instead, I became cruel to him, with a dedication I'd previously reserved for myself.

Over months, I redirected every bit of our old creativity. I goaded him into arguments I knew would leave him shaken and unable to work. I positioned myself as a surrogate parent (so I could tell myself I was still a concerned ally) then laughed at him. I got him to escalate. And, privately, I told myself it was me who was under attack, the one with the grievance, and I cried about how my friend was betraying me.

I wanted to erase him (I realized years later) not because his script offended me, but because it made me laugh. It was full of the sense of humor we'd spent years on — not the jokes verbatim, but the pacing, structure, reveals, go-to gags. It had my DNA and it was funny. I thought I had become a monster-slayer, but this comic was a monster with my hands and mouth.

After years as the best of friends and as the bitterest of exes, we finally had a chance to meet in person. We were little more than acquaintances with sunk costs at that point, but we met anyway. Maybe we both wanted forgiveness, or an apology, or to see if we still had some jokes. Instead, I lectured him about electoral politics and race in a bar and never smiled.

  • code switch

Thomas Henricks Ph.D.

Thinking About Discrimination: 8 Basic Issues

In these times, let's consider our own position in systems of inequality..

Posted July 6, 2020

Sometimes history seems to be at a tipping point. Masses take to streets; statues come down. People combine hopefulness and fear . Possibility is in the air.

Several essays in this series have focused on recent calls for social justice and the events that have precipitated those calls. In particular, I have written about prejudice, the tendency of individuals to think about other people as representatives of specific social categories and to demean them for those reasons.

Perhaps an even more important topic is discrimination , actions that carry out those understandings, and in consequence, diminish the life-prospects of the persons so identified.

It is common to think of prejudice and discrimination as tightly related matters and, often times, they are. However, discrimination is an occurrence of its own sort, an established set of lifeways or pattern for human relations. That “system,” reinforced in complicated ways, effectively controls current populations as much they control it. All too often, they live and die on its terms.

For such reasons, consider below eight basic issues about discrimination.

1. Fundamentally, discrimination is about access to socially valued resources . What do human beings need to prosper? They need material supports to shelter and nourish themselves. They need opportunities for public expression and collaboration in joint ventures. They need worthy identities and feelings of well-being, both personal and collective. They need skills and understandings, to make real their visions. In other words, people need wealth, power, prestige, and knowledge.

Those four socially valued resources are the very things that are restricted in forms of discrimination. Discriminators seek to enhance their own control of these capacities by declaring them off-limits to others. The controllers believe that sharing, in any widespread or substantial way, somehow diminishes what they possess (or hope to possess). All the slights, slurs, curtailments, and aggressions we associate with discrimination are just attempts to reinforce this basic view of life.

2. Much like prejudice, there are varying degrees — and targets — of discrimination . Although discrimination shares the common impulse described above, it is important to emphasize that it settles on different groups of people in somewhat different ways. That is to say, sexism, racism, heterosexism, classism, ableism, ageism, and ethnocentrism unveil themselves as differing restrictions for the persons co coded. Add to these differences in region, education , religion, and a dozen other matters. In other words, there are many ways of being exclusionary or provincial and many ideas to justify those treatments. Who of us can claim to be free of them all?

Beyond that, recognize that there are degrees of discrimination. Assaulting someone on the street and slighting them at a party may share the theme of harmful intent, but they differ in their scope and implications. Pointedly, discrimination may be large or small, vicious or timid. Many of us welcome certain groups and forbid others. Rare is the person who is honest enough to say: “I do well resisting some forms of prejudice/discrimination and less well with others.”

3. Discrimination operates at different levels, which vary in their stability and outreach. Some discrimination is largely “personal” in its inspiration and expression. For example, consider someone who posts racist tweets or other derogatory material on the Internet. Differently, discrimination occurs in “relationships” between people, as in the case of one person (perhaps the husband in a marriage ) dominating and restricting another. “Groups” can display discrimination through their policies and practices. So can “organizations,” which are more formal and abstract entities that transcend the lives of their members. At even broader levels, “communities” and even “societies” may feature discriminatory processes. This increasing scope equates to increasing difficulties for those who wish to escape or change that maltreatment.

4. Different institutions express discrimination (somewhat) differently . Although discrimination always features restricted access to socially valued resources for designated categories of people, different social institutions regulate different resources and justify those arrangements on different terms. For instance, economic discrimination centers on access to jobs, property, and wealth more generally. Political discrimination concerns access to governmental resources and vehicles of public representation, especially voting and office holding. Social discrimination involves patterns of membership and leadership , as in families, organizations, and communities. Religious bodies pose another challenge, as people may find themselves blocked from opportunities for spiritual expression and belonging, and from positions of moral authority in those bodies. Educational discrimination centers on access to schools and colleges, and on the more general possession of resources for creating and using knowledge. There is also discrimination that concerns opportunities for play, leisure, and artistic expression. Profoundly, there are challenges with regard to justice and law, focusing most clearly on relationships with police, the courts, and the criminal justice system. Commonly, minorities find themselves blocked within several of these institutions at the same time. Inevitably, that blockage affects the person’s assessment of self and feelings of social capacity.

5. Some discrimination is overt, while other forms are covert or hidden . In past decades, restrictive policies were quite explicit. Commonly, people from designated categories found themselves prevented from voting, living in specified neighborhoods, owning property, attending schools with the majority or working beside them, joining certain clubs, serving as leaders of faith communities, and so forth. That public system of exclusions (sometimes, expressed in law, or “de jure”) largely has given way to what are in-fact, or “de facto,” blockages.

personal essay on discrimination

For example, in a post-industrial society, minority status often means having reduced access to jobs, property, and wealth. Because of that, it is very difficult to afford good housing, high quality education, medical care, protection for one’s family, and supports for personal appearance. Society’s official representatives may proclaim that high-level positions in business, government, and other institutions are indeed “open” to minorities. However, chronic disadvantages, often the result of generations of restriction, make it difficult to compete with the majority. Of course, some minority people do make it through the filtering system and succeed conspicuously. Nevertheless, millions of others spend their lives in resource-poor environments.

6. Discrimination commonly takes the form of behavior, but it also entails “symbolic” degradation . We tend to think of discrimination as actions that restrict people’s opportunities to succeed. Sometimes, those policies and practices segregate the minority from other citizens. They also can mean more explicitly “dominative” behaviors, attempts to control and coerce through various kinds of intimidation. Minorities are told they can lose their jobs, homes, or even their lives if they don’t accommodate themselves to the current power structure.

However, there are other kinds of violence. People may live under a tyranny of ideas — jokes, cartoons, caricatures, slurs, mascots, and other forms of insult. Conversely, the majority may publicize its own political and social superiority with statues, flags, building and street names, and other forms of “remembrance.” History books may extoll the virtues of the dominant groups and minimize the contributions of the less advantaged. All this reinforces a public culture that justifies ongoing forms of inequality. Indeed, such patterns may seem “normal."

7. There is passive as well as active discrimination . It is customary to think of discrimination in its active forms, as when one group tries to subordinate another by regulating its means of self-expression. When we deny people the opportunities offered to other citizens, or simply circulate jokes and slurs about them, we actively discriminate.

Be clear that discrimination can mean acts of omission as well as those of commission. We who stand silently while a restrictive policy remains in force or demeaning information circulates bear some responsibility for those occurrences. In effect, we choose sides in a public culture that, ideally, should have no sides. To the extent that we nod and smirk, we affirm our allegiance with the insult-makers. The same is true when we see injustice and do not intervene. We make choices to solidify our own advantages at the expense of those who have less.

8. Discrimination can be both intentional and unintentional. Do we know when we are being aggressive or hurtful toward others? Do we care? Most of us would say we do know and care, though often we justify our questionable behavior by stressing that it is a response to insults or threats posed by others. However, it is also the case that we situate our attitudes and behaviors in systems of social expectation, which guide our understandings of interactions and thus our treatment of others. That is, we develop some sense of what people “like us” are like and, in contrast, what other categories of people are like. Emboldened by such ideas (and the belief that others share our views), we may commit acts that are offensive.

We may be overly familiar with a minority person or, oppositely, fearful and skittish. We may try to compliment them — perhaps stressing their intellectual ability or some particular aspect of their appearance — without considering why we are emphasizing this theme when we would probably not do so to someone from another category. We may invite them to social settings because we want them to be represented (tokenism). We may fail to invite them, because we do not want them to feel conspicuous or “uncomfortable.” We may ask them to “speak for” their social category, even though that request may mean a summary of the life experiences of millions of people.

As most of us have learned, it is difficult to avoid making missteps and insults in any social situation. Still, what the above examples make plain is that our errors are often the result of our seeing others as somehow different, that the social categories we impose are “real.” I do not dispute that the application of those categories, artifices in themselves, have dramatically influenced the life-experiences, traditions, and social identities of people. However, those social and cultural differences are largely the result of that group’s exposure to distinctive treatment, to their being sequestered and regarded as “other.” Isolation also affects dominant groups, who cling to one another and reinforce their understandings.

No one pretends that these are simple issues. Still, the challenge for all of us is to communicate respectfully about what unites and divides us and to construct a society that honors everyone’s self-worth and possibilities for public contribution.

Thomas Henricks Ph.D.

Thomas Henricks, Ph.D., is Danieley Professor of Sociology and Distinguished University Professor at Elon University.

  • Find a Therapist
  • Find a Treatment Center
  • Find a Psychiatrist
  • Find a Support Group
  • Find Online Therapy
  • United States
  • Brooklyn, NY
  • Chicago, IL
  • Houston, TX
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • New York, NY
  • Portland, OR
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Seattle, WA
  • Washington, DC
  • Asperger's
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Chronic Pain
  • Eating Disorders
  • Passive Aggression
  • Personality
  • Goal Setting
  • Positive Psychology
  • Stopping Smoking
  • Low Sexual Desire
  • Relationships
  • Child Development
  • Self Tests NEW
  • Therapy Center
  • Diagnosis Dictionary
  • Types of Therapy

July 2024 magazine cover

Sticking up for yourself is no easy task. But there are concrete skills you can use to hone your assertiveness and advocate for yourself.

  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Gaslighting
  • Affective Forecasting
  • Neuroscience
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Information Science and Technology
  • Social Issues

Home Essay Samples Social Issues

Essay Samples on Discrimination

Lgbtq discrimination: overcoming prejudice and fostering inclusion.

LGBTQ discrimination has been a persistent issue, characterized by inequality, prejudice, and systemic biases. This essay delves into the multifaceted nature of LGBTQ discrimination, exploring its origins, manifestations, impact on individuals and society, as well as the efforts to combat it and foster a more...

  • Discrimination

Conflict Theory and Ageism in Aging Discrimination

The advantage characteristic of the conflict theory is that it creates a continuous constant, drive for the middle and upper topmost class of young people to accumulate compile, wealth to maintain preserve their social class. This is good because it ensures guarantee the economy grows....

The Challenges To Get Equal Pay For Equal Work

In the United States in 2019, although we have had many triumphs in insisting on eradicating gender discrimination in the workplace, there are still many feats to be made. Specifically an issue in the past and where legislation is still changing, is for equal pay...

  • Gender Equality
  • Gender Inequality

American Dream And Discrimination In "Stranger In The Village"

Some times in communities people are led to believe that their race is more superior than the next. These concepts surround young generation and teach them to be just like the rest of society. Children born with purity and no predetermined hate for others are...

  • American Dream
  • Stranger In The Village

Islamophobia In The Modern World

Introduction Islamophobia is the fear, hatred, and prejudice which other people have against the Muslims and Islamic religion. Muslims across the world are facing issues because of their religion and often they are considered terrorists in western countries. With the passage of time the hate...

  • Islamophobia

Stressed out with your paper?

Consider using writing assistance:

  • 100% unique papers
  • 3 hrs deadline option

Canada’s Indian Act: An Affront To Human Dignity

“Canada’s Indian Act: an affront to human dignity” by Manuel Escott published on January 3, 1994, in the Globe and Mail is an insight into the political motives present in the Indian Act. Canada’s history of discriminating against Indigenous people, especially when it comes to...

  • Indigenous People

Race And Sex: A Judicial Chronology Of The Battle With Discrimination

The issue of minority discrimination in America whether it is a matter of race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other category that has can be determined to have a demographic majority and minority has been present since the foundation of the country. There have been...

  • Plessy Vs Ferguson
  • White Privilege

The Impacts of Martin Luther Speech on Social Issues

'I have a Dream Speech' remains one of the famous speeches in American history as blacks sought freedom. The fight against discrimination on basis of race and color was ripe in the 1950s and early 1960s, this is despite the ruling that barred any discrimination...

  • Martin Luther King

How Times in Which DuBois Lived Have Influenced Him

DuBois was born in Massachusetts, largely unaware of race prejudice, until one day, as he wrote in Souls of Black Folk, a student in his class refused to exchange greeting cards with him simply because he was black. That is when he became aware of...

  • Racial Segregation
  • The Souls of Black Folk

Discrimination and Stigma Surrounding Employees with Limitations

In reality, most people with limitations who can do even the basic duties of a job, are often denied, demoted, paid less, treated poorly or even harassed because of their limitations (legalaidatwork, 2019). However, this is apparent in the film when Officer Judy was taken...

  • Limitations

How Effective Are the Actions of Black Lives Matter Protest Group

Black lives matter try and help black people from being targeted with marches What was the context, Location and Time of the protest group? The protest group black lives matter was founded on july 13th 2013 subsequent to when the young 17 year old, trayvon...

  • Black Lives Matter

Analysis of Black Lives Matter Activism and Actions Taken by Its Members

The black lives movement with the #blacklivesmatter has greatly influenced the action as a democracy acts. The influential movement’s goal is to pave the way for african american freedom from modern systematic dehumanization. BLM has transformed the way we talk about police violence among minorities...

  • Civil Rights

How the BLM Movements Fights Against the Inequality and Its Future Plans

Introduction Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a movement that works against systematic racism and violence toward black people. BLM addresses issues impacting the black community including racial profiling, police brutality, and racial inequality in the United States. So why is an advocacy group a topic...

The Fake Equality in Indian Democracy

What is equality and democracy?We live in India, the largest democracy in the world. This means that in India, there is rule of the people, by the people and for the people. There are many important requirements for a country to truely be democratic and...

  • Social Inequality

Main Reasons of the Discrimination Cases in the Primary Schools of Bangladesh

Abstract Education acts as a critical indicator of prosperity, progress, and success in every society. There are cases however when the main goal of this education is not achieved especially because of discrimination. The aim of this paper is to address these cases especially in...

  • Inequality in Education
  • Primary Education

The Issue of Colorism in The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line by Charles W. Chesnutt

Colorism is defined as a form of prejudice typically from members of the same race in which people are treated based on their social economic status from cultural implications related to skin color. Within the idea of “race”, various groups of people compete with one...

  • The Wife of His Youth

How Maya Angelou Addresses Bigotry in Her Poem Still I Rise

In the poem ‘Still I Rise’, Maya Angelou describes and addresses the bigotry, racism, and hatred that have been directed at her, her gender, and her nationality throughout history. In the first stanza, Angelou’s persona states that the history of the black American population have...

  • Still I Rise

The Color Prejudice Within the Black Community in The Wife of His Youth by Charles W. Chesnutt

“The Wife of His Youth” is an 1898 historical fiction short story by author Charles W. Chesnutt. Charles Chestnutt is the first African American writer to use folklore in series literature. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 20, 1858, but spent most of...

Motives That Drive People Towards Discrimination

Why do people discriminate against others? What is the motive? What do they hope to gain? If we understand the answers to those questions, it can help us stop discriminating against others, and enable us to understand and help those who discriminate against us, people...

History of Discrimination in a Workplaces in U.S.

Despite the foremost progress in recent years, discrimination remains a large downside within the U.S.these days. To produce the facts regarding this issue, this paper can establish the causes of discrimination toward workers within the geographical point supported race, gender and different characteristics. Additionally i'll...

  • Civil Rights Movement
  • Workplace Violence

The Problem of Racial Discrimination and Its History

Today I would like to talk about discrimination. Do you know about discrimination? I know it is sad to think about, but several kinds of discrimination have always been a problem in the world. For instance, discrimination against woman, gender discrimination, racial discrimination and ethnic...

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare and Undertones of Discrimination

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan era. At the time, there were six social classes; the monarch, the nobility, the gentry, the merchants, the yeomanry, and the laborers. The class distinction was very clear among people and...

Zoot Suits as the Political Statement Against Bigotry and Discrimination

To a significant extent, it can be agreed that the attitudes and atrocities committed towards Mexican American youths of California – ‘Zoot Suiters’, by the main-stream groups during World War II, were discriminative and biased. Despite the Mexican American involvement in the war effort, they...

Hate Crimes: Significant Issue in The USA

Hate crimes are a significant issue in The USA in 2017-2018. There is 59.6 percent of victims were targeted because of the offenders race. Imagine not being able to go to a store in your neighborhood without getting judged by your skin color. The government...

Allegory To American Society In Zootopia

Zootopia is a Disney movie about a world where all types of mammals live together as one with supposed equal opportunities and the major animal divisions are prey versus predators, who used to live segregated from one another. Judy Hopps is a rabbit who defies...

Portrayal of Discrimination of African Americans in a Novel Native Son 

Discrimination has been an on-going issue in the United States for many years. African Americans have been continuous victims of this issue. Outspoken members of the black communities began to speak out about the concerns of this issue and worked diligently to work towards equality...

  • African American

The Problem Of Discrimination In "A Class Divided"

Abstract The day after Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, a teacher from a small predominantly white town in Iowa; decided to try a daring two day experiment which divided her class. Mrs. Elliott was determined to teach her third graders a lesson on discrimination...

  • A Class Divided

Theme Of Discrimination In 'A Class Divided'

The 1985 PBS Frontline documentary, ‘A Class Divided’ is an exemplary piece of film making that captures almost perfectly, the way in which discrimination is created, spread and enforced amongst members in a society. From the film, we can draw conclusions as to why discrimination...

  • Documentary

Asian American Discrimination and Representation in the Media

Many people assume that when it comes to applying to top universities, Asians have it the best of all races. Not only are they 'naturally intelligent,' they are also a minority indicating they can reap the benefits of affirmative action; therefore they must be able...

  • Asian American

Legal Conciousness against the Discriminatory Laws and Stereotypes

Legal consciousness examines the place of law in everyday life, and in the lives of ordinary people (Hull, 2016). Legal consciousness examines the role of law in everyday life, and focuses on how people use, think, and approach the law (Harding, 2006). Specifically, legal consciousness...

  • Stereotypes

Discrimination Against Transgender People in India

Transgender community is an imperative part of our society. Indeed, even law can’t deny their existence. In this research paper I will express my perspectives on the issues of transgender in a developing nation like India. Moreover, the issue of transgender is still in discussion,...

  • Transgender

Human Rights: How Is The LGBTQ + Community Being Treated Globally?

The reason we chose this topic for our global perspectives group project was to raise awareness on the LGBTQ + Community. For our research question, as a group, we decided to focus on same-sex marriages and coming out as being someone that is included in...

Jamaica's Independence In The Film "Coral Gardens"

After Coral Gardens was produced by Deborah A. Thomas and John L. Jackson in 2011. This documentary speaks about the event that happened immediately after Jamaica gained independence and shed light on the situation at hand. In 1962 when Jamaica gained independence a year or...

A Piece Of Cake And Discrimination

Living in America, we have the privilege of having a wide-range of rights. Those rights can sometimes be taken out of context and used to infringe on the rights of others. In Mr. Sebastian Mota’s article, “Can a baker refuse to create a transgender-themed cake?”,...

  • American Culture
  • Gender Identity

Age Discrimination in the Workplace: Who is Affected by It and Who Commits It

Age discrimination has increasingly become a critical issue in organizations, the field of organizational behavior, and society as a whole. Age discrimination in the workplace is the unintentional or deliberate differential treatment of a person because to their age, often paired with negative aging stereotypes...

Discrimination And The Right To Vote In America

As time has gone on, America has grown when it comes to civil rights among its citizens. In the 20th century minority groups were treated like an inferior race when it came to basically everything. It baffles me that African Americans had to take a...

Overview Of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) And Discrimination

The paper begins by outlining the different definitions and an overview of what ASD is and then a brief discussion on the effect of discrimination on affected children and how it affects them regarding health, mental and physical. Next, there is a brief report and...

Primary Source Analysis "The Talented Tenth"

Racism has been very pervasive among African people, raising many discriminations and prejudices towards them based on their races of ethnicity. W. E. B. Du Bois was a prestigious African American sociologist, historian, author and civil rights activist during the course of his life. He...

  • Race and Gender
  • Segregation

Sexual Harassment As A Form Of Sexual Discrimination

While it may not be obvious to many women exactly how much their pay difference is from that of their male coworker, the issue of sexual harassment is often more blatant. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that is due to the person’s...

  • Sexual Abuse
  • Sexual Harassment

Social Stigma And Discrimination Against Mental Illness

Can you imagine people lay the blame on people for being sick? Being accused that it was their own fault and they totally deserve it? This is what happens to the people suffering from mental illness, but it is slightly different. Mental illness is defined...

  • Mental Illness
  • Psychotherapy

The Role Of Implicit Prejudice In The Categorization Of Racially Ambiguous Faces

One of the many topics in social psychology is how people think about and view one another and how each view affects one another. Prejudice views about a group are usually negative these views can be extremely hurtful in society, whether it be races, religion,...

Best topics on Discrimination

1. LGBTQ Discrimination: Overcoming Prejudice and Fostering Inclusion

2. Conflict Theory and Ageism in Aging Discrimination

3. The Challenges To Get Equal Pay For Equal Work

4. American Dream And Discrimination In “Stranger In The Village”

5. Islamophobia In The Modern World

6. Canada’s Indian Act: An Affront To Human Dignity

7. Race And Sex: A Judicial Chronology Of The Battle With Discrimination

8. The Impacts of Martin Luther Speech on Social Issues

9. How Times in Which DuBois Lived Have Influenced Him

10. Discrimination and Stigma Surrounding Employees with Limitations

11. How Effective Are the Actions of Black Lives Matter Protest Group

12. Analysis of Black Lives Matter Activism and Actions Taken by Its Members

13. How the BLM Movements Fights Against the Inequality and Its Future Plans

14. The Fake Equality in Indian Democracy

15. Main Reasons of the Discrimination Cases in the Primary Schools of Bangladesh

  • Women's Rights
  • Pornography
  • Globalization
  • Immigration
  • Child Labour

Need writing help?

You can always rely on us no matter what type of paper you need

*No hidden charges

100% Unique Essays

Absolutely Confidential

Money Back Guarantee

By clicking “Send Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails

You can also get a UNIQUE essay on this or any other topic

Thank you! We’ll contact you as soon as possible.

Silhouettes of four construction workers in hard hats standing on a beam against a sunset or sunrise sky. One worker is crouching and appearing to weld, emitting sparks.

Photo by Kham/Reuters

The last great stigma

Workers with mental illness experience discrimination that would be unthinkable for other health issues. can this change.

by Pernille Yilmam   + BIO

It is not difficult to find stories about the burdens and barriers faced by employees or job-seekers with mental illness. For example, it was recently reported that Scotland’s police denied a position to a promising trainee because of her use of antidepressants – in keeping with a rule that officers must be without antidepressant treatment for at least two years. In other cases, people have reported being fired from jobs at a university, a nursing home facility, a radio station, and a state agency following requests for medical leave due to postpartum depression, anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, respectively. A US government commission maintains a select list of resolved lawsuits against companies that involved claims of mistreatment based on a worker’s mental health condition.

Often, the impact of negative attitudes toward mental illness is less overt than in these examples. More than a decade ago, a university professor named Suzanne published a book in which she openly discussed her life with bipolar disorder. The personal details that she revealed in the book, she told me, became a foundation for discriminatory treatment at her workplace. She said she experienced professional isolation in the hallways and meeting rooms: that colleagues stopped inviting her to collaborate with them, that she was shut down in department meetings and cut off from participating in decision-making committees. She attributes these developments to knowledge of her mental illness.

‘I experienced a very noticeable chill, averted eyes, actually being cut off when speaking in meetings,’ Suzanne recalled. ‘Lots of loaded language, of the “Well, SOME people just need to take their meds” variety, in meetings. This was the stage of my professional career where I started calling myself “the crazy lady in the corner”.’ At one point, when she had to take medical leave to address symptoms associated with her condition, a colleague opined that she was ‘lucky’ to have the option.

I n light of such stories, it’s not surprising that concerns about revealing mental health problems at work are commonplace. It’s estimated that 15 per cent of working-age adults have a mental health condition, and in a 2021 survey in the US, three-quarters of workers reported one or more symptoms of mental illness. One study surveying more than 800 people with major depressive disorder worldwide found that between 30 and 45 per cent reported experiencing discrimination in the workplace, with people in high-income countries reporting it at higher rates. A third of US employees polled by the American Psychiatric Association said they were worried about the consequences at work if they sought help for their mental health condition. In England, 61 per cent of survey respondents who were severely affected by mental illness said that ‘the fear of being stigmatised or discriminated against’ stopped them from applying for jobs and promotions. While there are signs that stigma related to mental illness has decreased over time (at least in some countries), stigma and discrimination continue to pose a problem in many workplaces.

Since the 1990s, a number of laws around the world have prohibited discrimination against employees with physical and mental disabilities. Among these are the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 in the US, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 in Australia, and Article 13 of the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997 in the European Union. While these laws have done much to advance protections for people with disabilities, their impact on the treatment of people with mental illness – which constitutes a form of disability for many – has clearly had limits.

Mental illness-related discrimination persists as a multilayered problem characterised by fear, misconceptions and underenforced laws. The encouraging news is that scientists have been developing interventions to help reduce stigma and discrimination related to mental illness – approaches that should receive much more attention if advocates, employers and governments want to make workplaces fairer for all.

Job seekers reluctant to mention a mental illness history were more likely to be employed six months later

Discrimination against people with mental illness is often rooted in preconceived notions about what mental illness is and how it affects someone’s ability to work. These negative misconceptions are forms of mental illness stigma . Research has found that stigma is sometimes expressed by employers and colleagues as an issue of trust: eg, a belief that people with mental illness need more supervision, that they lack initiative, or that they are unable to deal with clients directly. Some might believe that people with mental illness are dangerous, or that they should hold only manual, lower-paying jobs. Research also suggests that many employers and coworkers believe people with mental illness should participate in the workforce, but are reluctant to work with them directly – which has been described as a type of ‘not in my backyard’ phenomenon.

Discriminatory behaviours have been investigated as well. In the US, researchers found that fictitious job applications that mentioned an applicant’s hospitalisation for mental illness led to fewer callbacks than applications noting a hospitalisation for a physical injury. Similar results were observed in Norway. In Germany, scientists found that job seekers who were more reluctant to mention their mental illness history in applications and interviews were more likely to be employed six months later. In addition to the potential impact on hiring, some people with mental illness have told researchers they believe they have been refused a promotion due to their condition.

In one revealing study , Matthew Ridley, an economist at Warwick University in the UK, had pairs of strangers collaborate on a virtual task. Before the task, each participant was shown characteristics of the person they had been matched with, which in some cases included mental illness. Ridley then asked if they wanted to be paired with someone else instead. The participants, he found, tended to be willing to give up some of their anticipated financial compensation to avoid working with a person who had significant depression or anxiety symptoms. When asked why, they indicated that they thought people with a mental illness would be less efficient in completing the task, would require more support, and would be less fun to work with. (For their part, among the participants who revealed to Ridley that they had a mental illness, a majority said they would pay to not have that fact revealed to their partner.)

In the end, participants were paired randomly and, when Ridley analysed the results, he found no differences in task success or enjoyment, regardless of whether someone worked with a person who had a mental illness. The findings capture how negative assumptions can come into play – and prove to be inaccurate – even in the context of a temporary collaboration.

T he perpetuation of mental illness stigma and discrimination comes at a cost not only to the affected individual, but also to companies and societies. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that mental illness costs the global economy $1 trillion annually. Among the reasons for these astronomical costs are the higher rates of sick days and unemployment among people with mental illness. The increased absences are partly due to lack of access to treatment; in 2021, it was estimated that only half of all US adults with mental illness had received mental health services in the past year. But a potential aggravating factor is that some employees with mental illness refrain from using their work-associated health insurance for treatment, out of fear that their employer will learn about their condition, resulting in their dismissal, or other forms of discrimination.

The denial of reasonable workplace accommodations could also make a person’s job more difficult and absences more likely. For a person who uses a wheelchair, an accommodation might be a ramp where there are stairs; for a person with a mental health condition, such as an anxiety disorder or ADHD, it could mean having a private office or noise-cancelling headphones to help with concentration problems, or flexibility in one’s work hours in order to attend healthcare appointments or accommodate heightened symptoms. It could also mean requesting leave for a mental health condition – up to 12 weeks in the US, similar to medical leave for physical injuries or for sickness. But some employees might avoid requesting the accommodations they are legally allowed to receive, simply because they suspect that doing so puts their job security and potential for advancement at risk.

The greater amount of absences among people with mental illness can make firings more likely. Losing a job can worsen mental illness, and people often stop applying for new jobs because they anticipate stigma and discrimination.

A list of the top 10 disabilities in US discrimination claims included depression, anxiety disorder and PTSD

Of course, one’s experience of work itself – a major cause of stress for many people – can also contribute to mental illness. One woman I spoke with, whom I’ll call Sara, shared that unsupportive and hostile work environments have made her anxiety even worse than it used to be. She believes that having to take time off work for her mental health led to her sudden termination from her previous job.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), US employers are legally prohibited from discriminating based on physical or mental disabilities at any point during hiring, firing or professional evaluation. The same is true in Australia, based on the Disability Discrimination Act. Other countries have passed antidiscrimination legislation since then too, including South Africa’s Mental Health Care Act 17 of 2002 and India’s Equality Bill, 2019.

Yet, as we’ve seen, decades after the implementation of the ADA, problems remain. Studies continue to document stigma and discrimination against workers with mental illness. In 2020, a list of the top 10 disabilities in US discrimination claims included depression, anxiety disorder and PTSD. In Australia, a commission concluded back in 2004 that the country’s antidiscrimination legislation had been less effective in helping people with mental illness than those with mobility and sensory disabilities. In the EU, where Article 13 of the Amsterdam Treaty created a binding agreement to illegalise discrimination based on disabilities, researchers and clinical professionals were quick to point out its vagueness and lack of defined scope. An EU-funded consensus paper from 2010 documented the continued problem of discrimination against employees and job-seekers with mental illness.

Reports such as these call into question whether even a major law like the ADA can adequately address discrimination related to employee mental illness. And they should prompt us to reconsider how best to combat the problem. One question we can ask is: what might limit the impact of such laws in curbing discrimination against people with mental illness, compared with discrimination against people with physical disabilities? Let’s consider three potential answers.

F irst, discriminatory behaviour is not always obvious, and sometimes it is not even intentional. Compared with an employee who uses a wheelchair, it might be easier to dismiss a socially anxious person’s need to work from home. Compared with someone who is getting treatment for cancer, it might be easier to question whether an employee newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder will ever return as a valuable employee after their medical leave. Compared with a trauma-induced concussion, it might be easier to wonder whether a hypersensitivity to noise, related to PTSD, is really legitimate. Mental illnesses and their effects on people’s daily lives are often less apparent to others than the effects of a physical disability.

Second, laws like the ADA work only if people open up about their disabilities. The physical disability community has in the past decades led a cultural shift from exclusion and shame toward inclusivity and empowerment. People with physical disabilities have community, speak up and exercise their rights. Although there are ongoing efforts by people with mental illness to raise awareness about their experiences, many individuals stay quiet due to shame about their own condition or fear of how others will respond.

Even employers who want to hire people with mental illness can be subject to misguided beliefs

Lastly, the public stigma against mental illness bleeds into what people are expected to be able to handle and achieve. While physical disability is commonly perceived as a challenge with movement, mental illness is perceived as a challenge with thinking. Physical disabilities are seen as being caused by accidents or other unfortunate circumstances, while mental illnesses are often incorrectly seen as a choice or an inherent character flaw. Other misconceptions are that mental illness generally is untreatable or renders people violent or unable to work. An employer might therefore deem a person with mental illness unable to meet their job responsibilities, even when this assumption is unfounded.

Antidiscrimination laws are important, but they do not eliminate the tolls of stigma and capitalism. Employers want to make money, and a mental illness can be seen as a financial liability. Even employers who say they want to hire people with mental illness can be subject to misguided beliefs. And even when companies do grant accommodations, they might be limited. Sara, who in addition to struggling with anxiety has long had difficulty with focusing in distracting environments, was recently diagnosed with ADHD. Together with her psychiatrist, she submitted a request to her large corporate employer to work from home on two weekdays of her choosing, which would enable her to better focus on computer tasks – something that for her is much more difficult in a distracting open-office environment. She told me that it took six months for the accommodation request to be processed; in the end, she was allowed to work from home only on Mondays.

If people can develop the compassion needed to understand why ramps should be installed for use by employees with wheelchairs, there must be a way to heighten compassion for those who would benefit from, for example, a less distracting work environment. But history suggests it won’t be enough to make discriminatory practices illegal. It will require a change in perceptions.

F or many employees or job candidates with a mental illness, the prospect of workplaces free of stigma and discrimination may seem unattainable. ‘I cannot say anything definite that helps [reduce discrimination],’ Suzanne tells me. ‘If you keep your head down and do your job, then good people will eventually accept that this person is still fulfilling their job.’ There are, however, scientifically supported strategies that could be used in efforts to reduce mental illness stigma – and, consequently, discrimination – in workplaces. To the frustration of many anti-stigma advocates, these strategies have not yet been widely implemented.

One basic stigma-reducing strategy is based on social contact. Research suggests that people who have regularly interacted with someone who has personal experience with mental illness (such as a family member, friend or colleague) are often less likely to stigmatise and discriminate, and may be more likely to engage in empathic conversations about mental illness with employees. A law like the ADA should in theory have facilitated more social contact: if it freed more employees to disclose their mental illness and ask for reasonable accommodations, their coworkers would have learned that someone can have a mental illness and still be smart and productive. But, again, many people still do not disclose their mental illness (for fear of discrimination or other reasons), and coworkers cannot learn from what is not disclosed.

Educating HR professionals about mental illness could help reduce discriminatory practices

Another promising method for improving attitudes and behaviour toward employees with mental illness is psychoeducation. Broadly speaking, psychoeducation, also known as mental health education or mental health literacy, is a method of teaching what mental health is, why people might develop mental illnesses, and how these illnesses can be prevented and treated. It can also include the sharing of actionable strategies for coping with symptoms and crises, both acutely and preventatively. Psychoeducation incorporates components of group therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy, and is frequently used by psychiatrists and therapists in clinical settings. It was originally developed to support patients with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, and their families.

Excitingly, psychoeducation can also be used to help change the way workers with mental illness are perceived. While it has been most studied among patient groups as a method to reduce symptom severity and increase healthy coping strategies, it has been employed in professional settings too. For example, a systematic review of studies indicated that psychoeducational training for managers can improve their ‘knowledge, attitudes and self-reported behaviour in supporting employees experiencing mental health problems’. One study reported that managers who received psychoeducational training felt more confident in talking with employees about mental illness and were more likely to reach out to an employee who had an extended absence due to mental illness or stress. Researchers have also suggested that educating human-resources professionals about mental illness could help reduce discriminatory practices. Recently, the implementation of psychoeducational programmes in six companies within high-stress industries (such as hospitality) was found to reduce ratings of stress among workers and mental illness stigmatisation among workers.

The results from these studies are encouraging. Because psychoeducation can be delivered virtually in group settings and can be led by non-experts who’ve received appropriate training, it is also a cost-effective, scalable method. (Full disclosure: last year, I founded a nonprofit that has started to offer psychoeducational services in schools and other organisations.) But, for now, this approach appears to be rarely deployed in workplaces outside of research studies.

T he psychoeducation programmes in these studies typically take place in weekly, one- to two-hour sessions, lasting from a few weeks to months, and they are most often led by mental health professionals. They tend to focus on teaching people about and facilitating conversations on the causes, types, presentation and treatments of mental illness. The programmes often spend a considerable amount of time debunking common myths about mental health, and provide exercises to enable participants to help themselves or others with a mental illness. These exercises might include cognitive-behavioural tools for ‘fact-checking’ thought patterns, problem-solving skills, daily mood journals, and breathing exercises. A major goal is to challenge ideas about mental illness that underlie stigma and discrimination.

In a 2022 policy brief on mental health at work, the WHO argued for greater efforts to improve mental health literacy and support employees with mental illness. Psychoeducational programmes could be a prime tool for pursuing these goals, a staple for companies that aim to comply with antidiscrimination law and improve employee wellbeing. If psychoeducation helps key stakeholders, such as employers and human-resources professionals, to treat employees and job candidates with greater understanding, that might also lead to fewer sick days, enhanced productivity and more employment among people with mental illness. Perhaps work itself will become a less prominent driver of stress.

Some companies currently provide offerings such as unlimited vacation days, meditation apps or yoga sessions as a way to show support for employees’ wellbeing. But these sorts of benefits likely do little to address stigma or discrimination in workplaces. Moreover, implicit in this strategy is the idea that mental illness is a problem that can and should be addressed by individual employees, without putting broader workplace conventions and beliefs into question.

‘In contrast to my mental illness, my concussion was immediately accommodated’

While a severe version of a state such as psychosis or mania can be devastating for the person experiencing it, most people who have a mental health condition are not dealing with crises from day to day. Yes, someone with mental illness might be more easily distracted, more sensitive to noise or less social, but that doesn’t mean that their symptoms will inevitably hamper their job performance. What does hamper performance is when companies neglect to provide reasonable accommodations, even when studies suggest that the benefits associated with providing such accommodations outweigh the costs.

Wouldn’t most companies be inclined to provide structural and logistical support for an employee who suddenly became paraplegic, or who suffered another disabling physical ailment? One former tech industry employee told me that she saw a marked difference in how her leave-taking was received depending on whether it was mental health-related or not. ‘A while after returning from my mental health leave,’ she says, ‘I got a concussion for which I needed partial leave. The symptoms I had were so similar to my PTSD but, in contrast to my mental illness, my concussion was immediately accommodated with a 90-day medical leave and temporary part-time work schedule without any stigma.’ Sara, too, noticed a stark difference when she needed medical leave and other task-related accommodations to recover from shoulder surgery, as opposed to accommodations related to her mental health.

The evidence of ongoing and unnecessary burdens on workers with mental illness calls for honest consideration of what previous antidiscrimination measures have and have not achieved. Employers and governments have yet to fulfil the promise of landmark antidiscrimination laws for the many millions of people who go to work with mental health conditions. Fortunately, there is hope that evidence-backed approaches such as psychoeducational programmes could – if more widely embraced – provide an effective tool for making workplaces fairer and more supportive.

A black-and-white photo of soldiers in uniform checking documents of several men standing outdoors, with laundry hanging in the background.

Psychiatry and psychotherapy

Decolonising psychology

At times complicit in racism and oppression, psychology has also been a fertile ground for radical and liberatory thought

Rami Gabriel

Aerial view of an industrial site emitting smoke, surrounded by snow-covered buildings and landscape, under a clear blue sky with birds flying overhead.

Politics and government

Governing for the planet

Nation-states are no longer fit for purpose to create a habitable future for humans and nature. Which political system is?

Jonathan S Blake & Nils Gilman

Three women in traditional attire stand outdoors in a dry landscape. One person carries a child on their back while another holds a walking stick.

Anthropology

The Ju/’hoansi protocol

Hunter-gatherer societies are highly expert in group deliberation and decision-making which respects both difference and unity

Vivek V Venkataraman

Silhouette of a man, a child, and a cow with large horns sitting on the ground at sunset.

Progress and modernity

In praise of magical thinking

Once we all had knowledge of how to heal ourselves using plants and animals. The future would be sweeter for renewing it

Anna Badkhen

Illustration of various human skulls and profiles with captions detailing different ethnic groups and regions, from a historical anthropological study.

History of ideas

Baffled by human diversity

Confused 17th-century Europeans argued that human groups were separately created, a precursor to racist thought today

Jacob Zellmer

Ancient Mayan ruins, including a prominent stone pyramid, surrounded by dense green jungle under a cloudy sky.

Archaeology

Beyond kingdoms and empires

A revolution in archaeology is transforming our picture of past populations and the scope of human freedoms

David Wengrow

Discrimination - Free Essay Samples And Topic Ideas

Discrimination, a pervasive social issue, entails unjust treatment based on an individual’s identity traits like race, gender, or ethnicity. Essays might explore the psychological, social, and systemic roots of discrimination, its various manifestations, and its detrimental effects on individuals and communities. Moreover, discussions might extend to anti-discrimination initiatives, legal frameworks, and the role of education in combating discriminatory attitudes. We have collected a large number of free essay examples about Discrimination you can find at Papersowl. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

What is Discrimination?

Discrimination is well known in all societies. It is treating some people unequally that is treating people differently. Discrimination can be unlawful or legal. Legal discrimination is whereby you discriminate against a person for being who he or she is. However, if you treat a person in an unjust manner due to their race, religion, age, nationality ethical background or gender is said to be unlawful. In businesses, for instance, where an employer may decide to mistreat his or her […]

Fight against Discrimination

Discrimination is the treatment or making preference against or in favor of a person, on the grounds of category, color, group or race. People discriminated against are usually denied their full rights to either access or participate in activities. Discrimination can also be based on policies laid down to certain people from different activities or places, or can be against individuals with different ideas or opinions, like political or there can be laws set to bar some individuals from their […]

Aftershock: Beyond the Civil War Summary

Aftershock: Beyond the Civil War is a documentary aired on history channel on TV. The movie was directed by David Padrusch in the year 2006. The documentary is segmented into various series that describe the history of the time of the civil war in America. During that time, there was a deadly conflict between various races represented in America. The southern part of America was experiencing angry rebellion from the people. The Aftershock documentary is mainly focused on broadcasting the […]

We will write an essay sample crafted to your needs.

Discrimination of Races

Discrimination of races is something that is occuring in our society everyday. It still exists today because it started so long ago and once certain races had the hierarchy, some refuse to let go of the idea that they have more power just because they look a certain way and they choose to discriminate the minorities. Discrimination against a person's race occurs when an individual or group of individuals are treated unequally because of their true or perceived race. I […]

Stereotyping and Discrimination

Introduction The movie starts with all the animals living together and happily in the big city. Their peaceful lives are then disturbed by ferocious predators. The case goes to the swindler fox and a bunny cop, those who unintentionally solve many problems related to hidden cases of interspecies.Rhetorical Strategies Few of the negative observers interpret that movie does not openly or directly express the racism. Additionally, the writer named as Nico Lang also asserts that movie does not score much […]

Racial Inequality in America

The United States has been struggling with racial inequality for decades, and the media has been paying more attention to this issue. Race can impact the likelihood of graduating high school, attending college, or even maintaining a livable income as an adult (Back and Solomos, 2020). An individual's racial ethnicity is a factor when determining these outcomes and is worth noting. If you are skeptical of your race's role in the number of options you have, look no further than […]

Racism and Discrimination: the Influence of Past Sins

Discrimination against black people by white people in the United States had been regarded as a matter of course and justifiable for more than 300 years. Therefore, the problem is far more than whether the laws are prohibited or not, but whether people's mind and concepts are changed or not. The latter is something that everyone understands but is the most difficult to do. While looking at American history, the history of African Americans can be said to be soaked […]

Racism: Unmasking Microaggressions and Discrimination

Reading through the article provided a vivid reflection on how racism becomes a serious issue in the today society. There are various types of racism the article brings out manifested in micro aggression form. The varied opinions in my mind provide a clear picture of the information relayed in the article through the following analysis. Discrimination concerning race will major in my analysis. First, let me talk about the black guy abused in the Saudi Arabia that has sparked public […]

Is Racism Still a Current Issue in America

Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. It is no secret that America has a racist past, with issues like hate crimes, police brutality, and slavery. However, the concern of racism is still apparent in American society today. Completely eliminating racism will be very hard. However, to start the process of eliminating this issue, we need to start by recognizing our own […]

Discrimination in Workplace

Discrimination in workplace is when an employee experiences harsh or unfair because of his or her race, skin color, National origin, gender, disability, religion, or age. Discrimination is one of the biggest problems a lot of people face in a workplace, people gets judged based off their appearance and who they are. There are different ways of discrimination that occurs often in a workplace. One way is denying his/her a job cause of their race and gender all employers have […]

Discrimination against Blacks in a Raisin in the Sun

Chicago's Southside, like many other towns, suffers considerably post World War II. Racism stretches across the nation and into the Youngers, an African-American family in the play A Raisin in the Sun, home. Lorraine Hansberry, playwright of A Raisin in the Sun, vividly shows people how racism and discrimination can make a family suffer. Since racism will never go away, people need to learn how racism negatively impacts others' lives. Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun demonstrates how racism […]

Appeal to Ethos, Logos and Pathos Racism

Abraham Lincoln once said, Achievement has no color."", but is that really true? In many cases of racism, people have been suppressed and kept from being able to contribute to the society. Racism is a blight and a hindrance to our development. Imagine the many things we could do if people could set aside differences and cooperate meaningfully. Sadly that is not the case. In reality, people are put down because of their heritage and genetics. By no means is […]

About Gender Discrimination in Sports

Gender discrimination in sports has been a controversial topic for a long time. Men and women have been given different opportunities in the sports community. In the beginning, men had more rights than women. Even though gender inequality exists in sports, the situation has improved. Today there are several famous female athletes, such as Simone Biles, Abby Wambach, and Ronda Rousey. These women have made an impact on the gender discrimination matter; however, most sports are still dominated by men. […]

Main Causes of Discrimination

To the extent verifiable records appear, no general public or country has been insusceptible to discrimination, either as a victim or victimizer. Most of the causes of that discrimination and racism is given by fear of difference, through ignorance, and because people strive to show that they are stronger. Contemporary types of segregation go back to when European colonizers infiltrated and changed recently disengaged social orders and people groups. The more outrageous types of biased practices incorporate slavery, genocide, and […]

Racial Discrimination Within the Workplace

Racial Discrimination Within the Workplace Racial discrimination has played a big part in the United States history without a doubt however, there is still an argument on whether or not racial discrimination still exist in the U.S. in particular the workplace. According to Pew Research Center, over 150 million American are employed and of those 150 million 12.6% of employees are African American but many still say that they have experienced racism within the workplace. Racial discrimination is not only […]

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson: a Reflection on Gender Discrimination

Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery” depicted the cruelty of old principles and how they have effects on its citizens, especially on its women. In the story, the men are the one who choose a slip of paper that determined the horrific faith of one of their fellow townspeople. The women in the town have no right to choose a slip until her family has chosen theirs first. The lower down on the list that a citizen is increase their chance of […]

Three Problems of the Criminal Justice System and how to Fix them

The criminal justice system has an important role in society to maintain order and to ensure that law is equal and fair; no matter age, ethnicity, race, sex, or social economical status. Unfortunately, this is not true within the current judicial system. Racial discrimination, youth incarceration, and health related infirmities result from incarceration (Simonson, 2017). Three Problems of the Criminal Justice System and How to Fix Them There are many problems that plague our current criminal justice system. The problems […]

Discrimination and Prejudice in Frankenstein

During our human history, prejudice and discrimination have existed. Prejudice refers to the irrational and inflexible attitudes that members of a particular group hold about members of another group (Sibley and Duckitt 248). Prejudices are either harmful or positive. Both forms of prejudice are usually preconceived by the people who hold them and are extremely difficult to alter (Stephan, Cookie and Stephan 33). The negative form of prejudices leads to discrimination- unjust behaviors that holders of negative prejudice direct against […]

Frida Kahlo’s Experience of Discrimination

In America, everyone will experience discrimination in their lifetime, it's not a matter of when, but why. Discrimination, although diminished from previous decades, still holds strong in our societies present day. Frida Kahlo is famous for her self portraits which depicted her culture and female experience, and the ways they suffered. One of the first photos shown to us in this module was a painting of Frida herself, standing on a broken piece of land. It highlighted clues to many […]

Discrimination of the LGBTQ Community

Since the beginning of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, it has been one of the most discriminated against groups in the world as they are denied the basic rights that most people get to enjoy. Today, it is still legal to discriminate someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in thirty states. The following pages will inform readers on discrimination of the LGBTQ community by the general public, in schools, and in the workplace. […]

Depiction of Discrimination in to Kill a Mockingbird

"Our generation has had no Great war, no Great Depression. Out war is spiritual. Our depression is our lives" (Chuck Palahniuk). Discrimination was most common in the 1930's and was performed by prejudice people against others. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, discrimination is one of the main conflicts in the story. Till this day, people still face discrimination and injustice. Throughout the novel, sexism, classism, and racism are prominent in the lives of the characters. […]

Madisonian Democracy

Madisonian Democracy was based on the idea that human are self interested. Factions would be form due to common interest. There would be fragmented power to avoid the tyranny of majority and minority power. The point of the Civil Rights Movement was to have minority fight against tyranny of the majority, and they wanting their basic rights. With their hard effort they were able to pass the Civil Rights Act. They did use Madisonian Democracy but it fail. This was […]

Discrimination against Women in the Workplace

Various studies report that inequality still persists despite women making great milestones in the place of work (Bach, 2018). A recent survey conducted by Social Institutions and Gender Index (2018) shows that women discrimination in the United States is much higher when compared to discrimination against women in Australia, Colombia, regions of Eastern Europe, and Western Europe (Bach, 2018). The report by Social Institutions and Gender Index also highlighted the existing gender compensation differences in US, as well as the […]

Gender Discrimination Lawsuit against Nike

Abstract This article sets to expand on the recent discrimination lawsuit that has been brought against the Nike Corporation. Former female employees in leadership roles have filed a complaint against Nike citing pay disparities and an unfavorable work environment. Claims of gender disparity and unfavorable work environment floods the Nike Corporation after alleged claims that the company discriminates against female employees. Findings suggests male employees are paid more than female employees of the company who hold the same position. Women […]

Society and Racial Discrimination

Racial Discrimination Our society has turned into a hatred and politics place throughout the years. Racial discrimination is into what America has grown up on. This issue has always existed because of fundamental part of America's history. From the KKK's aggressive campaign against immigrants, to the police violence against black people, racism and discrimination continue to be a big controversial problem. People need to take the responsibility of this culture to address racism and learn how to accept and embrace […]

Religious Discrimination Throughout Cultures and the Workplace

Religious discrimination refers to the treating of an individual unfairly because of his or her religious beliefs (Kerner). P. Smith (2017) defines religious discrimination as the adverse treatment of an individual who is either an employee or any other person considering the religious beliefs of the person rather than the merit of the employee. Additionally, religious discrimination can refer to the unjust, or the prejudicial treatment of a group of people or just an individual because of his or chosen […]

Gender Hierarchy of Power

There has been gender discrimination over the years in our societies by power. Most of the society has been structured in such a way the culture value one gender more than the other, and this is what has led to gender discrimination. In many societies, the gender hierarchy has brought unequal opportunities in power, and this has discriminated the female gender leading to the feminism in our societies. According to the Bechdel movies, it has explained the gender hierarchy in […]

Racial Discrimination in Justice System

Abstract It is essential to analyze the racial disparity in the criminal justice system because the criminal courts are important in society because, especially in making judgments, they are expected to bring equal opportunities for all people. It must ensure that, despite the political statuses and other backgrounds of the individuals, every person in the country follows the rule of law and order. When making important judgments, they should not have the bias of allowing any favor. The manner in […]

The Discrimination of Women in Society

The unequal treatment of individuals based on their gender is a deeply rooted problem in most societies, even our own. Discrimination of women in health, education, and politics has consequences for the development of their lives and their freedom of choice. A country’s culture directly impact how gender equality is exercised as a basic human right. The first step to finding suggestion and solutions for this global problem, is understanding what it is: “Gender equality is, first and foremost, a […]

The is Immigration Discrimination

Immigration has always been a problem, Native Americans used to call it 'white people'. Some scientists consider human came to America for the first time about 20,000 years ago over the Bering Straits ( The Statue of Liberty- Ellis Island Foundation). These people were the Native American ancestors, who would populate the landscape for thousands of years. Around the year 1000, a small number of Vikings arrived and five hundred years later, the great European migration began. Crossing the Atlantic […]

Related topic

Additional example essays.

  • Gender Inequality in the Medical Field
  • Gender Inequality in the Workplace
  • War On Drugs and Mass Incarceration
  • Social Problems Reflected in Zootopia
  • The Gender Pay Gap and the Equality
  • Gender Inequality in Education
  • The Oppression And Privilege
  • Socioautobiography Choices and Experiences Growing up
  • A Class Divided
  • Why College Should Not Be Free
  • Shakespeare's Hamlet Character Analysis
  • A Raisin in the Sun Theme

How To Write an Essay About Discrimination

Understanding the concept of discrimination.

Before you begin writing an essay about discrimination, it's crucial to understand its definition and the various forms it can take. Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, sex, or disability. Start your essay by defining discrimination and differentiating it from prejudice and bigotry. Explore the different types of discrimination, such as racial, gender, age, religious, and disability discrimination. Understanding these variations is important to provide a comprehensive view of the topic in your essay.

Developing a Focused Thesis Statement

A strong, focused thesis statement is essential for an effective essay on discrimination. This statement should present a specific angle or argument about discrimination. For example, you might choose to write about the impact of discrimination in the workplace, the role of systemic discrimination in society, or strategies to combat discrimination. Your thesis will guide the direction of your essay and ensure that your analysis is structured and coherent.

Gathering Supporting Evidence

An essay about discrimination should be supported by relevant facts, data, and examples. This might include statistical evidence, case studies, historical examples, or current events. For instance, if you are discussing racial discrimination, you might include recent incidents that have gained public attention or historical legislation that has contributed to systemic racism. Use this evidence to support your thesis and strengthen your arguments.

Analyzing Causes and Effects

Dedicate a section of your essay to analyzing the causes and effects of discrimination. Discuss various factors that lead to discriminatory practices, such as stereotypes, ignorance, and societal norms. Explore the impact of discrimination on individuals, communities, and society as a whole. For instance, consider how workplace discrimination can affect employee morale and productivity. This analysis will help readers understand the complexities of discrimination.

Proposing Solutions and Conclusions

Towards the end of your essay, discuss potential solutions to address discrimination. This could include policy changes, educational programs, or grassroots initiatives. Highlight initiatives that have been successful in combating discrimination and suggest areas where more work is needed. Conclude your essay by summarizing the key points discussed, restating the importance of addressing discrimination, and encouraging further research or action.

Final Review and Editing

After completing your essay, it's important to review and edit your work. Ensure that your arguments are clear and supported by evidence. Check for grammatical errors and ensure that your essay flows logically. It might also be helpful to get feedback from others, perhaps classmates or a teacher, who can provide a fresh perspective. A well-polished essay will communicate your ideas more effectively and demonstrate your understanding of discrimination and its impacts.

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

American Psychological Association Logo

Racism, bias, and discrimination

collage of Black man in wheelchair, Asian American mother and daughter, and Black woman holding a rainbow flag

Racism is a form of prejudice that generally includes negative emotional reactions to members of a group, acceptance of negative stereotypes, and racial discrimination against individuals; in some cases it can lead to violence.

Discrimination refers to the differential treatment of different age, gender, racial, ethnic, religious, national, ability identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic, and other groups at the individual level and the institutional/structural level. Discrimination is usually the behavioral manifestation of prejudice and involves negative, hostile, and injurious treatment of members of rejected groups.

Adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology

Resources from APA

professional talking with a client

Combating stigma against patients

How clinicians can overcome bias and provide better treatment

two people sitting and talking

Psychologists with mental health conditions may face discrimination

How the field can address its covert history of stigmatizing colleagues

Collage of faces

Musicians fight mental health stigma through music

Artists share their wisdom and experiences coping with mental health challenges

hollywood sign at sunset

Is mental health still misconstrued on screen? Psychology goes to Hollywood to dispel stigma

The industry is eager for psychologists’ expertise to improve mental health portrayals on-screen and more.

More resources about racism

What APA is doing

Religion, Race & Ethnicity

Race, ethnicity, and religion

APA Services advocates for the equal treatment of people of all races, religions, and ethnicities, as well as funding for federal programs that address health disparities in these groups.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion

Inclusive language guidelines

APA’s commitment to addressing systemic racism

APA’s action plan for addressing inequality

APA’s apology to people of color in the U.S.

Confronting past wrongs and building an equitable future

Perspectives on Hate

The Myth of Racial Color Blindness

Dismantling Everyday Discrimination

The Psychology of Prejudice, 2nd Ed.

Attachment-Based Family Therapy for Sexual and Gender Minority Young Adults and Their Non-Accepting Parents

Magination Press children’s books

Something Happened to My Dad

Something Happened to My Dad

Cover of Lulu the One and Only (medium)

Lulu the One and Only

Algo Le Pasó a Mi Papá

Bernice Sandler and the Fight for Title IX

Cover of There's a Cat in Our Class! (medium)

There's a Cat in Our Class!

Journal special issues

Foundational Contributions of Black Scholars in Psychology

Police, Violence, and Social Justice

Recentering AAPI Narratives as Social Justice Praxis

Racial Justice in the Criminal Justice and Legal Systems

Understanding, Unpacking and Eliminating Health Disparities

Ethnic psychological associations

  • American Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African Psychological Association
  • The Association of Black Psychologists
  • Asian American Psychological Association
  • National Latinx Psychological Association
  • Society of Indian Psychologists

Related resources

  • Protecting and Defending our People: Nakni tushka anowa (The Warrior’s Path) Final Report (PDF, 8.64MB) APA Division 45 Warrior’s Path Presidential Task Force (2020)
  • Society for Community Research and Action (APA Division 27) Antiracism / Antioppression email series
  • Society of Counseling Psychology (APA Division 17) Social justice resources
  • Talking About Race | National Museum of African American History and Culture Tools and guidance for discussions of race
  • InnoPsych therapists of color search
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

A Plus Topper

Improve your Grades

Discrimination Essay | Essay on Discrimination for Students and Children in English

February 13, 2024 by Prasanna

Discrimination Essay:  According to the Oxford dictionary, discrimination is the practice of treating an individual or a particular group in society unfairly than others based on age, race, sex, religion, finance, etc.

Throughout history, we have seen discrimination tainting every society and nation. This essay examines and analyses the causes and effects of discrimination in various forms on an individual, society, or nation.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long and Short Essays on Discrimination for Students and Kids in English

We provide children and students with essay samples on a long essay of 500 words and a short essay of 150 words on the topic “Discrimination” for reference.

Long Essay on Discrimination 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Discrimination is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Our world has always been parted into two groups: victims of discrimination and those who discriminate against the former. The definition of discrimination denies opportunity or equal rights to a specific group of people that may be differentiated based on their religion, skin colour, or gender.

However, discrimination could be confused with prejudice and stereotype. Stereotypes are mental images we have on a particular group of people because of their religion, culture, or gender. Prejudice stems from stereotypes. It’s the act of judging by popular stereotypes.

Discrimination Is a mix of both with the addition of oppression and unfair treatment towards the deemed ‘inferior’ group or individual. Keep in mind that prejudice is a result of attitude, and discrimination results from an action.

Human history is saturated with acts of discrimination. It takes different forms, and modern society is not an exception. It is at the stake of cultural history and has influenced many social, cultural, and economic occurrences that we see today.

One of the most common forms being discrimination based on the financial background of an individual. The world is divided. The oppressive rich and powerful one’s greed to earn more and frowns upon the one who doesn’t have it all while the poor struggles to survive.

When we come across racial discrimination or racism, globally, we see acts of violence and unfair treatment done against people of colour, usually against people who aren’t Caucasian or commonly termed ‘white’ in appearance.

You can now access more Essay Writing on this topic and many more.

This form of oppression started when European countries started colonizing lands outside Europe in the 1600s and claiming them to be superior. Sadly, racism is still prevalent in the modern world, where a person’s ethnicity derives them from equal rights and opportunities.

In the history of humanity, we have come across several gruesome acts of discrimination. One of them being the mass genocide of Jews living in Europe, led by the Nazis and their leader Hitler, during the 2nd world war. We still see acts of systemic racism in countries all across the group.

Sexism has also been a significant issue over the centuries. Women face discrimination and double standards in their homes and their workplaces. Here we see women being oppressed, abused, and mistreated by men. Sexism resides in every society worldwide, blocking women from attaining every other right that a man gets to enjoy.

We also see people getting discriminated against for their sexual orientation. Homophobia and transphobia are what every queer has to go through living in today’s society. They get judged, oppressed, threatened, and even illegalized just for being who they are.

Another form of discrimination that’s primarily affecting the world today is discrimination based on religion. Today’s world is so divided that one wrong act from a community will form a lousy rep around the group.

A country like India, which is constitutionally secular, is now fragmented because of fights struck against religious minorities. In America, after the 9/11 massacre struck, people developed this strange stereotype and hatred towards people who follow Islam, also known as Islamophobia.

To sum it up, discrimination forms a menace to society and the person who has to face such an adverse treatment as it is a straight denial of the equal worth of the victim. It is a violation of an individual’s identity.

Short Essay on Discrimination 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Discrimination is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Discrimination is as common and abundant as corruption in politics and pollution in the air. Every type of discrimination implicates the superiority of a specific group of people over another group of people.

In today’s world, we see several forms of discrimination: gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, education, finance, workplace hierarchy, disabilities, etc. All of these arises from prolonged superiority complex, ignorance, and indifference to people’s identity.

The world we live in now faces significant issues like racism, sexism, homophobia, and Islamophobia. All these issues pile up to build a society filled with injustice, inequality, and in general toxic.

We study all the gruesome and bloody acts and events that have stained humankind all because of discrimination in history. Nowadays, these acts of discrimination are getting recognized and being called out, but it’s far from getting eradicated.

The government should form laws to avoid it; parents and schools should educate children on equality. The fight against discrimination is a long and hard one, but we have to continue fighting this social evil.

10 Lines on Discrimination Essay in English

1. Discrimination is an act when a person is treated unequally and differently. 2. Stereotype and prejudice are not discrimination. They are a part of the discrimination spectrum. 3. Particular forms of discrimination are also punishable by law. 4. Discrimination is of many types—racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. 5. Two anti-discrimination movements around the world are- ‘Me Too’ movement (a feminist movement / a protest against sexism) and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ Movement (protest against racism and systemic racism. 6. On 1st March every year, the Zero Discrimination Day is celebrated. 7. On 1st March 2014, The United Nations, along with UNAIDS, celebrated this day for the first time. 8. This day generally focuses on no discrimination despite having different gender, sex, ethnicity, and physical disability. 9. Any form of discrimination violates human rights. 10. Acts of discrimination are deeply rooted in our society, and we have to get rid of it.

FAQ’s on Discrimination Essay

Question 1. What is Discrimination?

Answer: Discrimination is an act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong.

Question 2.  What are the four main types of discrimination?

Answer: There are four main types of discrimination– direct discrimination and indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimization.

Question 3.  What is the cause of discrimination?

Answer: All forms of discrimination are prejudice based on identity concepts and the need to identify with a certain group. This can lead to division, hatred, and even the dehumanization of other people because they have different identities.

Question 4.  What kind of discrimination is illegal?

Answer: Employers can’t discriminate based on race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age (40 and older), disability, or national origin.

  • Picture Dictionary
  • English Speech
  • English Slogans
  • English Letter Writing
  • English Essay Writing
  • English Textbook Answers
  • Types of Certificates
  • ICSE Solutions
  • Selina ICSE Solutions
  • ML Aggarwal Solutions
  • HSSLive Plus One
  • HSSLive Plus Two
  • Kerala SSLC
  • Distance Education

Prejudice and Discrimination Essay

  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment

Prejudice and discrimination are impossible to avoid when living in society. However, you rarely think about them, if you are not a subject of bias. At least, what I can say about myself is that I have never really thought about prejudice and discrimination, their essence, and consequences. This course helped me realize that these phenomena are complicated and versatile. I have learned that they have many levels and can be formulated by the trends in television programs, commercials, music, and cultural developments. Well, I think it might be true because if since childhood we watch television programs that depict discrimination and bias, then we start thinking of them as of a normal way of building relations with people from outside our group.

Nevertheless, I believe that media culture is not the initial source of imposing belief that treating those who are somehow not like you differently is normal. What is the most robust influential factor is the process of socialization within your group. As a kid, you start it within your family. However, growing up in a family that criticizes discrimination does not necessarily mean that you will become an unbiased adult. What matters is the further process of socialization when you become a member of a bigger group that consists of people with various ethnic, social, religious, and other backgrounds. Seeing the difference every day, you start thinking differently than when you were a part of your small social group – family. At least, it was like that for me.

When I was in a family, I was completely unbiased because I always saw people who had similar backgrounds. When watching TV, I rarely thought that programs and commercials portray differences between people with different backgrounds; I just enjoyed the process. However, when I became a part of a larger group, I started noticing that I like people who are similar to my family members more than others who differ from me in some ways. Since then, I remarked that media also plays a role in this process showing differences between men and women, stressing on racial and class segregation. That said, what I believe is the source of bias is the subconscious desire to be involved with the members of your group that becomes stronger when you see that it is highlighted on television that aims at shaping particular attitudes to the member outside the group.

Prejudice and discrimination are just one side of the process of socialization. Another side of it is acknowledging that they exist and influence other people, trying to understand what makes you biased and what are the prejudices you have. What I can say about myself is that being in a group while studying the nature of bias and discrimination was a useful experience. It helped me become somewhat less biased because I saw people with different backgrounds gathered in one group.

In fact, I realized that we all are similar because we all have some prejudices and feel uncomfortable when sharing our feelings and thoughts. I believe that the outcomes of the course might have been different if I were not to share my feelings with the group or completed the assignment on my own because constant interactions with different people helped me reduce the prejudices, and sometime later the feeling of discomfort vanished, as I realized that I can trust these people and bias cannot be justified.

  • Qualitative Aspects of the Dubai' Demographic Situation
  • Impact of the Populace on Funding Sources
  • Feminist Examination of Science
  • Ethnic Stratification, Prejudice & Discrimination
  • Children's Socialization
  • Teenage Pregnancy and Abortion: Articles Evaluation
  • Hollywood Community Profile: Audience/Stakeholders
  • Common Property Use in the Indo-Pacific Region
  • Ashkenazi's and Western Zionists' Influence on Israel
  • Death With Dignity as a Social Concept
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2020, July 27). Prejudice and Discrimination. https://ivypanda.com/essays/prejudice-and-discrimination/

"Prejudice and Discrimination." IvyPanda , 27 July 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/prejudice-and-discrimination/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Prejudice and Discrimination'. 27 July.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Prejudice and Discrimination." July 27, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/prejudice-and-discrimination/.

1. IvyPanda . "Prejudice and Discrimination." July 27, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/prejudice-and-discrimination/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Prejudice and Discrimination." July 27, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/prejudice-and-discrimination/.

Discrimination Essay

personal essay on discrimination

Discrimination : Discrimination And Discrimination

Discrimination has played a role in humanity from the beginnings of human existence to the modern societies of today. Every individual has experienced an act of discrimination at some point; yet, most questions surrounding this fundamental human flaw remain unanswered. One belief that has overwhelming support is the fact that discrimination can lead to significant negative effects. These effects mediate how an individual is able or unable to deal with discrimination. Thus, the discussion of discrimination

Discrimination in U.S.A Introduction This term is utilized to highlight the contrast in treatment between individuals from diverse groups when one group is purposefully treated… 1. Gender Discrimination • Although gender discrimination has decreased a lot as compared to past but still the situation is far from ideal… • Several institutions are reluctant to give important and commanding posts to women… • Gender discrimination is also evident in social life of America… 2. Religious Discrimination

Discrimination is typically defined as the practice of treating a person differently from other people or groups of people. In terms of economics, discrimination occurs when people with similar economic characteristics, experience different economic outcomes due to their race, sex or other noneconomic attributes. For instance, a black worker whose skills and experience is identical to those of a white worker but receives a much lower wage is a victim of discrimination. A country will not be operating

Discrimination In today 's lesson, you will be learning about discrimination. First off, you have 30 seconds to think of any reasons why discrimination may occur: Write your answers the text box below: Discrimination: Occurs when a person is subject to unfair treatment, based upon a characteristic that is considered to be abnormal, in association with certain individuals or groups, lifestyle choices, or a personal circumstance that is not desired in the workplace. What laws cover non-discrimination

Discrimination And Discrimination

Each one of us has probably felt being alienated or outcast at one point or another Each one of us has felt that moment when we might have been treated differently or when we felt uncomfortable because we felt different from everybody else. Discrimination due to prejudice and stereotyping is one of the many issues that we must face in a culturally and socially diverse world. Understanding these concepts and the mechanisms behind these behaviors may actually help us be a step closer to solving this

Discrimination in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is defined as “a prejudiced or prejudicial outlook, action, or treatment.” Discrimination is a decision or an act that negatively treats a group based on a certain ground of ideology in which the group belongs to. The discrimination is usually always done by the people who are in power or majority and have a feeling that they are superior to the other races in the country. Practicing or choosing not to practice a religion is an exceptionally personal

Workplace Discrimination : Discrimination And Discrimination

treat others with prejudice because of particular features they possess. Unfortunately, prejudice and discrimination occur even in places which, by definition, should be free of all personal prejudices – specifically, in offices and other business surroundings. This tragedy is called workplace discrimination; not every unfair behavior at work, however, can be assessed as discrimination. Discrimination in the workplace happens when an employee experiences unfair treatment due to their race, gender, age

Discrimination, Discrimination And Discrimination Essay

Unfortunately, discrimination has been occurring in America for hundreds of years. Evidence proves this when the European settlers began colonizing America and making the Native American people their slaves. It didn’t stop there, discrimination and racism was even more apparent when the Jim Crow Laws were passed. The Jim Crow Laws enforced segregation between the whites and the African Americans. For years, the unlucky Americans of all races, colors, and sexual orientation have endured discrimination at some

Discrimination And Discrimination Against Discrimination

In many countries as well as the United States there are various laws that protect individuals from discrimination, in the United States there are protected classes under the Civil Rights laws that makes it illegal to discriminate against people that fall into these categories, these protected classes are “Race, Color; National Origin; Sex; Age; or Disability” (Peck, 2006, p. 11). However, is there ever a time that it is lawful to discriminate against an older person? We’ll examine this question

Distinction between prejudice and discrimination is attitude versus action. Prejudice refers to negative attitudes or feelings toward or about an entire category of people (Mooney p. 289). Whereas discrimination refers to the actions or practices that result in the differential treatment of categories of individuals (Mooney, p. 292); individuals act on their prejudices which result in discrimination. It is critical to analyze the relationship between prejudices and discrimination as to they affect society

Popular Topics

  • Discrimination Gay Essay
  • Discrimination Homosexual Essay
  • Discrimination Racial Essay
  • Discrimination Workplace Essay
  • Disease Essay
  • Disgrace Essay
  • Disney World Essay
  • Disorder Essay
  • Disparities Essay
  • Dissociative Identity Disorder Essay

Logo

Essay on Discrimination

Students are often asked to write an essay on Discrimination in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Discrimination

Understanding discrimination.

Discrimination means treating people unfairly because they are different. It can be based on race, religion, gender, age, or disability.

Types of Discrimination

Effects of discrimination.

Discrimination can lead to feelings of sadness, anger, and loneliness. It can also cause mental health problems.

Fighting Discrimination

We can fight discrimination by treating everyone equally, standing up against unfair treatment, and promoting diversity and inclusion.

250 Words Essay on Discrimination

Discrimination is a pervasive social issue that transcends geographical boundaries and cultural contexts. It is the unjust or prejudiced treatment of different categories of people, often based on aspects such as race, age, sex, or disability.

The Roots of Discrimination

Discrimination is deeply rooted in stereotypes, biases, and societal norms. These are often perpetuated through socialization processes, media representations, and institutional practices, leading to systemic discrimination. This systemic discrimination is often invisible to those not affected, making it a challenging issue to address.

Impacts of Discrimination

Discrimination has far-reaching effects on individuals and societies. It can lead to social exclusion, economic disparity, and mental health issues among those discriminated against. It hampers social cohesion and economic development, creating divisions and tensions within societies.

Combating Discrimination

Addressing discrimination requires a multi-faceted approach. Education plays a vital role in breaking down stereotypes and promoting empathy and understanding. Legislation can also provide protection against discriminatory practices. However, to truly combat discrimination, societal attitudes must change, and this requires collective effort.

500 Words Essay on Discrimination

Introduction, the nature of discrimination.

Discrimination is deeply embedded in societal structures, often perpetuated by stereotypes, prejudices, and biases. It manifests in both overt and subtle ways, from explicit laws and policies that disadvantage certain groups to unconscious biases affecting interpersonal interactions. Discrimination can be systemic, where it is entrenched in societal institutions, or individual, where it is enacted by individuals in their daily interactions.

The Impact of Discrimination

The effects of discrimination are far-reaching, affecting individuals and communities at multiple levels. At the individual level, it can lead to psychological distress, lower self-esteem, and reduced opportunities for employment, education, and social participation. At the societal level, discrimination hampers social cohesion and economic progress. It perpetuates social inequality, fostering environments of hostility and tension.

Intersectionality and Discrimination

Combatting discrimination.

Addressing discrimination requires concerted efforts at multiple levels. Legal measures, such as anti-discrimination laws and equal opportunity policies, can provide a framework for preventing discriminatory practices. However, laws alone are insufficient. There needs to be a societal shift in attitudes and behaviors. This can be facilitated through education, promoting diversity and inclusion, and challenging harmful stereotypes and biases.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

personal essay on discrimination

  • Homework Help
  • Essay Examples
  • Citation Generator
  • Writing Guides
  • Essay Title Generator
  • Essay Topic Generator
  • Essay Outline Generator
  • Flashcard Generator
  • Plagiarism Checker
  • Paraphrasing Tool
  • Conclusion Generator
  • Thesis Statement Generator
  • Introduction Generator
  • Literature Review Generator
  • Hypothesis Generator
  • Human Editing Service
  • Essay Hook Generator
  • Social Issues
  • Discrimination Essays

Discrimination Essays (Examples)

1000+ documents containing “discrimination” .

grid

Filter by Keywords:(add comma between each)

Discrimination against minorities is rampant.

The other effect of the discriminatory judicial system is that non-whites are usually targeted by the system in an unfair manner. For instance, Latinos are usually and in certain instances explicitly singled out for the process of immigration enforcement. Close to ninety-four percent of all the illegal immigrants who are arrested by the INS are of Mexican origin. The Immigration and Naturalization Service itself however states that only about fifty four percent of all the illegal immigrants are of Mexican origin (Defending Justice,2005) . After the 9/11 attacks, the Bush Administration made it absolutely possible for all the police departments and federal agencies to infringe on the civil liberties as well as civil rights of Muslim, Arab as well as South Asian Immigrants (NAKASEC, 2003). Some of the new policies are; conducting of arrests and interrogations, indiscriminate and unwarranted raids as well as secret detentions. There are also stereotypes on Native Americans as….

Blumstein, A (1993). Racial Disproportionality of U.S. Prison Populations Revisited.

University of Colorado Law Review, 64, pp. 743-760.

Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2004). "American Indians and Crime

http://www.justice.gov/otj/pdf/american_indians_and_crime.pdf

Discrimination in Workforce Gender Discrimination at Work

Discrimination in Workforce Gender discrimination at work place means the way to behave with the employees in such a way that is to prefer one employee to other due to gender biasness. All over the world, this disparity among the men and women is condemned but still present (Mooney, 2012). One of the research conducted at the U.S. shows that the women get lower compensation than the men do, for the same working hours per week. Women earn only 84.6% of what men earn for the same work and same working hours. This preferential treatment among the employees causes de-motivation to excel in the office environment. There are several ways of gender discrimination at work place (Fox & Lituchy, 2012). According to the feminist theory, it can be a direct discrimination, in which men get more pay and women get lesser payment even though they both have same academic qualification, skills and….

Fox, S., & Lituchy., T. (2012). Gender and the Dysfunctional Workplace. Cheltenham: Edward Elga.

Fredman, & Sandra. (1997). Women and the Law. London: Clarendon Press.

Mooney, & A., L. (2012). Understanding Social Problems. Toronto: Nelson Education.

Tilly, & Charles. (1999). Durable Inequality. Berkeley; Los Angeles; London: University of California Press.

Discrimination and Affirmative Action in

In the case considered, there are two possibilities for the award of the contract: The first is that there may have been no companies on the applicant list that met the minority standards. The second is that non-minority companies far outweighed their minority counterparts in the level of service that would be provided. In the first case, the deontological viewpoint would not have been applicable, as there were no companies available to meet the minority standards. The ethical argument might then be that, all persons should have an equal right to receive the contract, and be chosen on merit. The second case could then have been decided on the grounds of a utilitarian approach. Quality of service takes precedence over human rights considerations. The utilitarian viewpoint also considers the importance of quality of the specific service involved, as well as the setting and safety levels promoted by the service. In an….

Smitherman, Laura. (2008, Aug 7).

Board OKs contract for company that failed to meet minority goals. Tribune Business News. Washington.  http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=1526873651&SrchMod  e=1&sid=25&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1236295162&c lientId=29440

Teall, E. (2000). Ethics in the Workplace. Dept of Educational Technology, San Diego University. http://school.teall.net/ethman/info/util.htm

Discrimination in the Workplace A

Discrimination against the elderly, against pregnant women, against women with children, against people of color are all prohibited under the law. The EEOC or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was created to administer Title VII of the Civil ights act and specifically to "progress race, national origin, religious, and sex discrimination claims pursuant to the statue" (Gregory, 2003). Is the EEC doing its job? During the first year alone after the EEOC was created more than nine thousand cases were filed (Gregory, 2003). Coleman, Slonaker & Wendt (1993) suggest that discrimination is sex blind, and that as the workforce continues to become more divers in today's global economy, there is a greater potential than ever for employment discrimination that would adversely affect a variety of individuals. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1979 is supposed to protect women from discrimination based on pregnancy (Coleman, Slonaker & Wendt, 1993). Another act, the Vocational ehabilitation….

Coleman, J.W., Slonaker, W.M. & Wendt, a.C. (1993). "Employment discrimination is sex blind." Management Journal, 58(2): 28

EEOC. (2004). "Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination." Retrieved April 25, 2005:  http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html 

Gregory, R.F. (2003). Women and workplace discrimination: Overcoming barriers to gender equality. New Brusnwick: Rutgers University Press.

Haines, R. & Hemphill, H. (1997). Discrimination, harassment and the failure of diversity training: What to do now. Westport: Quorum Books.

Discrimination in the Fire Service Over Time

Discrimination in the Fire Service Over time, nearly every profession once considered the exclusive province of men (and in the case of the United States, white men) has gradually been made accessible to minorities, whether through practical necessity, changing cultural standards, or court orders. However, this process has proceeded unevenly, so that even now there remains institutionalized discrimination which serves to preclude women and other minorities from the same opportunities as white men, and one of the areas where this can be seen most clearly is the case of the fire service, where women and other minorities have been systematically denied employment due to inherently discriminatory testing and evaluation practices. What makes the fire service one of the more interesting sites of workplace discrimination, however, is not just the fact that women and other minorities have been denied employment or promotion, but that certain programs intended to do away with this….

Allen, Z. (2006, October 12), Women file suit against FDNY. New York Amsterdam News, p. 11.

Baker, A. (2010, January 14). Judge finds 'intentional discrimination' against blacks in fire department hiring. New York Times, p. A.30.

Dumas-Mitchell, A. (2001, March 15). New battleground for NAACP: The fire department.

Chicago Defender, p. 5.

Discrimination Agaisnt Women in Morocco

But domestic violence has not been eliminated. Nor have other discriminatory traditions, such as polygamy. "Although the practice of polygamy is declining, it continues to be a threat to women, as it undermines a woman's dignity, perpetuates notions of male dominance, and above all creates domestic environments where women become vulnerable to abuse because they are in the difficult position of agreeing to their husbands' marriage or asking for divorce." Under the CEDAW, the United Nations have increased their efforts to reduce polygamy and in their report, stated: "Polygamous marriage contravenes a woman's right to equality with men and can have such serious emotional and financial consequences for her and her dependents that such marriages ought to be discouraged and prohibited." The application of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in Morocco has also highlighted some disturbing facts in the constitution of the North….

Discrimination, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, the Online Version, 2008, http://pewebdic2.cw.idm.fr/,last accessed on March 3, 2008

Fuegen, K., Biernat, M., Defining Discrimination in the Personal / Group Discrimination Discrepancy, University of Kansas, 2002, Retrieved at  http://www.questia.com/read/5001188832on  March 3, 2008

Rhoodie, E.M., Discrimination Against Women: A Global Survey of the Economic, Educational Social and Political Status of Women, 1989, Retrieved at  http://www.questia.com/read/65280652#on  March 3, 2008

Official Website of the United Nations, http://www.un.orglast accessed on March 3, 2008

Discrimination Involves Classifying People Into Different Groups

Discrimination involves classifying people into different groups and giving the members of each group distinct and typically unequal treatments and rights (Wikipedia, 2003). The criteria defining the groups determine the type of discrimination. Use of the term implies that the factors on which the discrimination is based are intrinsically irrelevant to the decision being made. Typically, the discriminator views himself as superior to the injured group. The effects of discrimination are broad. Slow or unhelpful retail service, racial slurs, denial of employment and housing, hate crimes and genocide are all examples of discrimination. This paper will discuss a very specific example of discrimination -- discrimination against Arabs in the United States as a result of the tragic terrorist events on September 11, 2001. ackground Many governments have tried to suppress discrimination through civil rights legislation, equal opportunity laws and institutionalized policies of affirmative action. On the other hand, there are some governments….

Bibliography

Ackerman, Seth. (2003). Who Knew?: The Unanswered Questions of 9/11.In these Times. Retrieved on the Internet at:  http://www.alternet.org/ 

Davis, Nicole. (2001). The Slippery Slope of Racial Profiling, Colorlines. Retrieved at:

Discrimination There Are Many Different Types of

Discrimination There are many different types of discrimination that exist in the labor market today. There is ethnic discrimination as well as other discrimination like gender discrimination. Kenneth Arrow, the Nobel Prize winner, defined discrimination as "the valuation in the market place of personal characteristics of the worker that are unrelated to productivity" (Anonymous). Harassment can also be racial in nature or can be gender oriented. Harassment in the labor market would be the act of tormenting someone by continued and persistent criticism and attacks. Discrimination however is the unfair treatment given to people or group on the basis of prejudice. A group of 14 people from seven different European country visited Israel/Palestine for five days in 2004 to investigate and look in to the labor situation of the Palestinian workers present within Israel and the Occupied Territories. It is known that the labor market in Israel as well as Palestine is….

REFERENCES:

(1) Anonymous -- Discrimination in the Labor Market. [Online website] Available from:  http://www.tutor2u.net/economics/content/topics/labourmarket/labour_discrimination.htm  [Accessed on 16/10/2005]

(2) Finance Ministry -- Israel Economic Recovery Plan - Stage II Transition to Growth. [Online website] Available from: http://www.mof. gov.il/beinle/economic_plan.pdf [Accessed on 16/10/2005]

(3) Adva Center - "Israel: A Social Report 2003" [Online website] Available from: www.adva.org/ISRAEL_2003_ENG.pdf [Accessed on 16/10/2005]

(4) Dr. Aziz Haidar - "The Arab Population in the Israeli Economy" 1990. International Center for Peace in the Middle East, p.130

Discrimination Today Discrimination Within the

An organization that practice peer reinforcement tends to be successful since this helps in encouraging the employees in speaking up their minds whenever they witness any kind of harassment within the organization. Most Organizations have lost their works because of age discrimination among the workers in the working place, however, other employees tend not to be the target of the discrimination, but they might be the next targeted group who do not want to work for a discriminatory organization. When employees leave the company for another company, it is evidently true that the productivity level will go down therefore making the company to lose the potentials of the employees against competitors. Age discrimination can impact the company by damaging the productivity level. The knowledge of age discrimination by the employees can create an environment which is negative along with company management that has a poor perception causing a reduction in the….

Esposito, S. (2011).Age Discrimination in the Workplace. Retrieved December 2, 2012 from http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/talentmanagement/articles/age-discrimination-in-the-workplace-2-mistakes-you/

Mayfair, a. & Media, D (2012). Improving lives .The Consequences of Age Discrimination at Work. Retrieved December 2, 2012 from  http://smallbusiness.chron.com/consequences-age-discrimination-work-15806.html

Discrimination Law Race Color Discrimination Eight

Discrimination Law "ace Color Discrimination, " Eight categories encompass race discrimination Essay Question: Section 15 EEOC's Compliance Manual, "ace Color Discrimination, " guidance analyzing charges race color discrimination Title VII Civil ights Act 1964. Discrimination essay question: Joe's Bakery advertised in the local newspaper for an assistant baker. Muhammad, a recent honors graduate of the Culinary School of America, applied for the position and was told that the position had been filled. Muhammad is of Middle Eastern descent and practices the Muslim faith. The following day, and for nine consecutive days thereafter, Muhammad saw the ad in the paper again. Joe's Bakery employs seven people, including Joe. Do the facts satisfy the requirements for a prima facie case? If so, can Muhammad pursue a claim for discrimination against Joe's Bakery? Studies have shown that applicants that 'sound' white over the phone and have white-appearing names on their resumes are more likely to be asked….

Bennett-Alexander, D.D., & Hartman, L.P. (2009). Employment law for business (6th Ed.).

New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Proving employment discrimination. (2013). Legal Match. Retrieved:

 http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/proving-employment-discrimination.html

Discrimination the Mentioned Acts Have a Common

Discrimination The mentioned acts have a common thread of setting boundaries for discrimination in the workplace. Each act makes illegal discrimination in the workplace on the basis of specific personal traits. In a sense, most of the acts are built on the framework of Title VII of the Civil ights Act of 1964, and they expand on that act's protections. Title VII banned discrimination on the basis of gender, race, religion, color or national origin (EEOC, 2014). The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 offers protections to women as an amendment to Title VII protections against sex discrimination. This act extends those protections to discrimination on the basis of pregnancy. The age acts work to prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, while the Americans with Disabilities Act works to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability, and sets boundaries for how and when disabilities can be factored into consideration for employment. 2. The….

EEOC. (2014). Pregnancy discrimination. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved January 22, 2014 from  http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/pregnancy.cfm 

EEOC. (2014). Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved January 22, 2014 from  http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm 

FindLaw. (2014). Griggs v Duke Power Co. 401 U.S. 424 (1971). Retrieved January 22, 2014 from  http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=U.S.&vol=401&invol=424

Discrimination at the Lumber Yard Facts A

Discrimination at the Lumber Yard Facts: A job that entails the act of heavy physical lifting, by virtue of its very nature as well as its advertised job description is publicized in the 'help wanted' section of the local paper. Few, if any, other physical or educational qualifications are needed for the job. A man of forty-five who is visibly out of shape applies for the laboring position. During the initial employment interview, the man advised of his lack of physical qualifications and fitness for the occupation because of his age and apparently poor constitution, which could make his work at the job impossible at worst and at best a continuous danger to himself and to others. Thus, the man is directed to a potential position in customer service at the company, if only he strives makes his appearance more professional for that initial interview. Solution: hile it is reasonable to infer that age….

Works Cited

EEOC. (2005) "Age Discrimination." Government Website. Retrieved 19 Jul 2004 at  http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/discrimination/agedisc.htm 

Greenberg, David. (2005) "Proving Discrimination in the Workplace."

Discrimination Attorney. Retrieved 19 Jul 2004 at  http://discriminationattorney.com/proving.shtml

Discrimination and Racism Why Do They Exist

Discrimination and Racism Dovidio, J.F., & Gaertner, S.L. (2002). Prejudice, discrimination, and racism. New York: Academic Press. Research carried out shows that racism and discrimination exists and they will continue to exist given that human beings are the one on universe and there happens to be nothing that is more common than feeling the remarkable needs of human beings unless the needs of people are hold, therefore, some individuals will always try to bring one another down. The author depicts racism and discrimination as a thing that will forever exist because there happens to be an "us" and a "them" that makes human beings to be always suspicion of the unknown groups who are outside of one's own. The source indicates that discrimination is an act of treating someone in a way which is not favorable because of some personal inalienable characteristics that are governed by the law. Discrimination can be in the….

Discrimination and the Indian Population

This is to say that, in a theoretical regard, ethnic prejudices and religious hatred may not even enter into some of the broader economic patterns. Instead, in such instances, this is a form of economic opportunism which, not unlike America's categorical exploitation of Mexican labor, has manifested as a devastating form of economic discrimination. The results are indeed quite damaging, evidence suggests, to the Indian population of the Emirates, which has not experienced the type of wholesale economic elevation that has marked the nation as a whole. This is especially true today, as global recession leaves this oft-mistreated group to bear the brunt of negative trends such as low wages, poor labor conditions and unemployment. As a result, "Indians and other expatriates in the UAE are increasingly becoming susceptible to the scourge of depression, research has shown. The prime causes are discrimination at the workplace, longer working hours, home-sickness, and the chaotic state of peak-hour traffic." (INP, 1) These conditions are part of a….

Works Cited:

Discrimination Complaint One of the

At the same time, there are limits in time for filing of the suit and the first of these is that the suit must be filed within 180 days from the date of violation. This period is extended to 300 days if the charge is also covered by the state or local anti-discrimination law. For charges under ADEA, only the state limits are valid, and this may be 300 days. For the Equal Pay Act, there is no requirement for filing charges with the EEOC to be able to go to the court. Whenever any discrimination is suspected, it is best to directly approach EEOC. In addition to the laws listed above, many states and areas have anti-discrimination laws, and agencies to enforce them. These are generally referred to as "Fair Employment Practice Agencies" by EEOC. They act in co-ordination with EEOC for duplication of effort to be avoided. This….

Facts About Mediation" (November 1, 2004) the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved at  http://www.eeoc.gov/mediate/facts.html . Accessed on 6 May, 2005

Filing a Charge of Employment Discrimination" (August 13, 2003) the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved at  http://www.eeoc.gov/charge/overview_charge_filing.html . Accessed on 6 May, 2005

Holding, Reynolds. (October 7, 2001) "Millions are losing their legal rights Supreme Court forces disputes from court to arbitration - a system with no laws." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved at  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/10/07/MN61162.DTLAccessed  on 6 May, 2005

Laws Enforced by the EEOC" (January 15, 1997) the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved at  http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/laws.html . Accessed on 6 May, 2005

Having a hard time answering the following course questions; how have you become an agent of social change? And in doing so, how have you taken initiative to learn about and experience cultures different from your own?

This is a difficult question to answer.  In the era of COVID-19, when personal interactions with people are limited, especially with people outside of your immediate social group, being an agent of social change is more difficult than it is in other times.  That is because social change agents have to be able to influence people.  While some of that can be accomplished in a virtual environment, hence the popularity of internet “influencers,” that type of influence is simply not going to be enough to reach some people.  People tend to go to places on the internet....

Can you help me an essay outline and essay title about invent technology that would transform a country’s society?

This is a very interesting topic.  Near the end of each year, Lux Research posts a list of transformational technologies to watch in the following year, which might be a good place to start if you are looking for ideas about a specific technology.  However, those are going to be technologies that are already invented.  Inventing a technology that would transform society in a specific country would require an intimate understanding and knowledge of a country’s culture, geography, religion, history, infrastructure, and natural resources; identifying a problem that it has; and combing up with a novel invention....

Need help with my thesis state on between 1890 until 1920 what group of Americans saw their access to the constitution rights increase and what group didn’t?

In turn-of-the-century America, there were some major civil rights advances for some groups, while other groups saw no advances in their civil rights and even saw advances that had been made begin to erode.  The time period was well after the end of the Reconstruction era and the beginning of Jim Crow laws, the rise of the suffragette movement, and a continued assault on rights for Native Americans .  There was also a significant increase in anti-Asian discrimination. Here are some suggested titles and thesis statements for an essay about civil rights in this era.

Essay Title....

What is the best essay question to research under the topic of ageism?

Ageism is the practicing of discrimination against people based on their age.  While the term does not specify the age of the people experiencing discrimination, ageism has most often been used to describe discrimination against older people, particularly seniors. There are multiple components to ageism, as age is used in a discriminatory manner for a variety of types of decision-making, from personal choices to policy choices.

There are many topics you could focus on when writing about ageism.  Much of the research in the area has been done in the context of the job market, where....

image

Research Paper

Criminal Justice

The other effect of the discriminatory judicial system is that non-whites are usually targeted by the system in an unfair manner. For instance, Latinos are usually and in certain instances…

Sports - Women

Discrimination in Workforce Gender discrimination at work place means the way to behave with the employees in such a way that is to prefer one employee to other due to…

In the case considered, there are two possibilities for the award of the contract: The first is that there may have been no companies on the applicant list…

Discrimination against the elderly, against pregnant women, against women with children, against people of color are all prohibited under the law. The EEOC or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission…

Discrimination in the Fire Service Over time, nearly every profession once considered the exclusive province of men (and in the case of the United States, white men) has gradually been…

But domestic violence has not been eliminated. Nor have other discriminatory traditions, such as polygamy. "Although the practice of polygamy is declining, it continues to be a threat…

Discrimination involves classifying people into different groups and giving the members of each group distinct and typically unequal treatments and rights (Wikipedia, 2003). The criteria defining the groups determine…

History - Israel

Discrimination There are many different types of discrimination that exist in the labor market today. There is ethnic discrimination as well as other discrimination like gender discrimination. Kenneth Arrow, the…

An organization that practice peer reinforcement tends to be successful since this helps in encouraging the employees in speaking up their minds whenever they witness any kind of harassment…

Discrimination Law "ace Color Discrimination, " Eight categories encompass race discrimination Essay Question: Section 15 EEOC's Compliance Manual, "ace Color Discrimination, " guidance analyzing charges race color discrimination Title VII…

Discrimination The mentioned acts have a common thread of setting boundaries for discrimination in the workplace. Each act makes illegal discrimination in the workplace on the basis of specific personal…

Discrimination at the Lumber Yard Facts: A job that entails the act of heavy physical lifting, by virtue of its very nature as well as its advertised job description is publicized…

Discrimination and Racism Dovidio, J.F., & Gaertner, S.L. (2002). Prejudice, discrimination, and racism. New York: Academic Press. Research carried out shows that racism and discrimination exists and they will continue to…

History - Asian

This is to say that, in a theoretical regard, ethnic prejudices and religious hatred may not even enter into some of the broader economic patterns. Instead, in such instances, this…

Business - Law

At the same time, there are limits in time for filing of the suit and the first of these is that the suit must be filed within 180…

What is Project 2025?

It’s a blueprint for what a second Trump administration could look like, dreamed up by his allies and former aides.

personal essay on discrimination

If Donald Trump struggled somewhat in his first administration to move the country dramatically to the right, he’ll be ready to go in a second term.

That’s the aim behind Project 2025, a comprehensive plan by former and likely future leaders of a Trump administration to remake America in a conservative mold while dramatically expanding presidential power and allowing Trump to use it to go after his critics.

The plan is gaining attention just as Trump is trying to moderate his stated positions to win the election, so he’s criticized some of what’s in it as “absolutely ridiculous and abysmal” and insisted that neither he nor his campaign had anything to do with Project 2025.

Still, what’s in this document is a pretty good indicator of what a second Trump presidency could look like. Here’s what Project 2025 is and how it could reshape America.

It’s a blueprint for a second Trump administration

The centerpiece is a 900-page plan that calls for extreme policies on nearly every aspect of Americans’ lives, from mass deportations, to politicizing the federal government in a way that would give Trump control over the Justice Department, to cutting entire federal agencies, to infusing Christian nationalism into every facet of government policy by calling for a ban on pornography and promoting policies that encourage “marriage, work, motherhood, fatherhood, and nuclear families.”

This isn’t coming directly from the Trump campaign. But it should be taken seriously because of the people who wrote it, analysts say. The main organization behind the plan, the Heritage Foundation, is a revolving door for Trump officials (and Heritage is a sponsor of the Republican National Convention, which will hand him the nomination next week).

“This is meant as an organized statement of the Trumpist, conservative movement, both on policy and personnel, and politics,” said William Galston, head of governance studies at the Brookings Institution.

2024 presidential election

personal essay on discrimination

Project 2025 calls for abortion limits, slashing climate change and LGBTQ health care funding, and much more

A few of the highlights:

Remake the federal workforce to be political : Instead of nonpartisan civil servants implementing policies on everything from health to education and climate, the executive branch would be filled with Trump loyalists. “It is necessary to ensure that departments and agencies have robust cadres of political staff,” the plan says. That means nearly every decision federal agencies make could advance a political agenda — as in whether to spend money on constituencies that lean Democratic. The project calls for cutting LGBTQ health programs, for example.

Cut the Education Department: Project 2025 would make extensive changes to public schooling, cutting longtime low-income and early education federal programs like Head Start, for example, and even the entire Education Department. “Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated,” the plan reads.

Give Trump power to investigate his opponents : Project 2025 would move the Justice Department, and all of its law enforcement arms like the FBI, directly under presidential control. It calls for a “top-to-bottom overhaul” of the FBI and for the administration to go over its investigations with a fine-toothed comb to nix any the president doesn’t like. This would dramatically weaken the independence of federal law enforcement agencies. “There’s going to be an all-out assault on the Department of Justice and the FBI,” said Galston, of Brookings. “It will mean tight White House control of the DOJ and FBI.”

Make reproductive care, particularly abortion pills, harder to get : It doesn’t specifically call for a national abortion ban, but abortion is one of the most-discussed topics in the plan, with proposals throughout encouraging the next president “to lead the nation in restoring a culture of life in America again.” It would do this by prosecuting anyone mailing abortion pills (“Abortion pills pose the single greatest threat to unborn children in a post-Roe world,” the plan says). It would raise the threat of criminalizing those who provide abortion care by using the government to track miscarriage, stillbirths and abortions, and make it harder to get emergency contraceptive care covered by insurance. It would also end federal government protections for members of the military and their families to get abortion care.

Crack down on even legal immigration : It would create a new “border patrol and immigration agency” to resurrect Trump’s border wall, build camps to detain children and families at the border, and send out the military to deport millions of people who are already in the country illegally ( including dreamers ) — a deportation effort so big that it could put a major dent in the U.S. economy. “Illegal immigration should be ended, not mitigated; the border sealed, not reprioritized,” the plan says.

Slash climate change protections : Project 2025 calls for getting rid of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which forecasts weather and tracks climate change, describing it as “one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry.” It would increase Arctic drilling and shutter the Environmental Protection Agency’s climate change departments, all while making it easier to up fossil fuel production.

Ban transgender people from the military and consider reinstating the draft : “Gender dysphoria is incompatible with the demands of military service,” it reads. The author of this part of the plan led the Defense Department at the end of Trump’s presidency, and he told The Washington Post that the government should seriously consider mandatory military service.

How all of this would be implemented

A huge part of this project is to recruit and train people on how to pull the levers of government or read the law in novel ways to carry out these dramatic changes to federal policy. There’s even a place on the plan’s website where you can submit your résumé.

But there are some major hurdles to getting the big stuff done, even if Trump and Republicans win control of Washington next year. For one, Trump doesn’t appear to agree with everything in it. His campaign platform barely mentions abortion, while Project 2025 zeroes in on it repeatedly.

Also, some of these ideas are impractical or possibly illegal. Analysts are divided about whether Trump can politicize the civil workforce to fire them at will, for example. And the plan calls for using the military to carry out mass deportations on a historic scale , which could be constitutionally iffy.

Ominously, one of the project’s leaders opened the door to political violence to will all of this into being: “We are in the process of the second American revolution,” Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts warned recently, “which will remain bloodless, if the left allows it to be.”

Why Project 2025 is getting so much attention right now

It’s not unusual for wannabe administration officials to plan for how they’d govern once they get back in power. But what is unusual is how dramatic and unapologetically extreme many of these proposals are.

And the Biden campaign — which is obviously struggling right now with existential questions about its nominee — sees this as an easy target to campaign on.

Democrats are circulating a survey from a liberal organization that suggests talking about Project 2025 as a “takeover” of American government by Trumpists resonates with voters.

“It’s like reading a horror novel,” said Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson. “Each page makes you want to read the next one, but when you finish reading it, you’re scared and disgusted.”

That’s much to the frustration of the Trump campaign, which doesn’t want such specific (and politically unpopular) ideas out there pegged to his campaign, as he’s trying to moderate some of his positions to win the election.

“It makes no sense to put all the crazy things you’ll be attacked for down on paper while you’re running,” a Trump adviser told The Washington Post recently .

But it’s fair to think of Project 2025 as a pretty good indicator of what a second Trump presidency would look like, analysts say.

“It’s not like Trump is going to hand out this booklet to his Cabinet on Day One and say, ‘Here you go,’” said Michael Strain, the director of economic policy studies at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute. “But it reflects real goals of important people in Trump’s community.”

A previous version of this article misspelled the name of the American Enterprise Institute's Michael Strain as Michel. The article has been corrected.

Election 2024

Follow live updates on the 2024 election from our reporters on the campaign trail and in Washington.

Kamala Harris: A majority of Democratic delegates have pledged to support Harris , signaling she is likely to secure the presidential nomination next month. We broke down seven options for her vice-presidential pick .

Biden drops out: President Biden addressed the nation , seeking to define his legacy and explain his decision to exit the presidential race. Here’s what happened in the hours before Biden posted a letter announcing his decision to end his campaign .

Trump VP pick: Donald Trump has chosen Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio) as his running mate , selecting a rising star in the Republican Party and a previously outspoken Trump critic who in recent years has closely aligned himself with the former president.

Presidential election polls: Here’s what voters think about Harris replacing Biden and how Harris performs against Trump in recent polls .

personal essay on discrimination

  • Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Ross Douthat

The 4 Ways I See This Going With Trump

A woman holds a large photo of Donald Trump.

By Ross Douthat

Opinion Columnist

Donald Trump will arrive at the 2024 Republican convention — his Republican convention, finally and completely, without the dissent of 2016 or the pandemic that overshadowed 2020 — closer than ever to a second term. But the likelihood of a Trump restoration has not yet brought clarity about what it would actually usher in.

With Trump there is always the whipsaw, the forays toward normalcy and the reversion to a darker mean. Asked on the debate stage whether he would spend a second term seeking revenge on his political enemies, he promised that “my retribution is going to be success. We’re going to make this country successful again.” A few days later, he was on Truth Social, amplifying a post demanding a military tribunal for Liz Cheney.

With Trump, too, there is always the question of how his policy impulses interact with his personal laziness. He recently made a big show of repudiating Project 2025 , a Heritage Foundation blueprint stuffed with severely conservative proposals, and then he produced a Republican Party platform stripped of some gun-rights and pro-life language and pledging to protect Medicare and Social Security from any kind of cuts. Are these signs that Trump knows he can just roll over conservative activist groups in pursuit of popularity? Or are they meaningless gestures, because personnel is policy and he’s going to hire all the guys who worked on Project 2025?

There’s no singular Trumpism whose workings we can confidently predict. Instead there are Trumpist scenarios and Trumpian personae — whose interactions, if he wins, will give his second term its shape.

First, there is Trump the moderate . This has always been an underestimated aspect of his brand, because his moderation is united to excess and demagoguery. But Trump is not a movement conservative, not an ideologue outside of core obsessions like trade and immigration, and he no longer has to fear revolts from his right the way he did in the days when he felt the need to pick a religious-conservative Reaganite as his vice president.

Glance over the G.O.P. platform, focus on the substance rather than the capital letters and the Trumpian flourishes, and you can see outlines of the pitch the moderate version of Trump wants to make to swing voters. I’ll be right-wing on crime and immigration, but I won’t touch your retirement programs. I’ll be anti-woke and pro-patriotism, but I won’t be Mike Pence on social issues. I’ll keep the tax cuts I passed last time, but I won’t necessarily pile on more tax cuts for the rich. I’ll keep America out of unnecessary wars.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .

IMAGES

  1. Discrimination Essay

    personal essay on discrimination

  2. Free Discrimination Essay

    personal essay on discrimination

  3. Discrimination Essay

    personal essay on discrimination

  4. Women Discrimination

    personal essay on discrimination

  5. Racial Discrimination Argumentative Essay Example

    personal essay on discrimination

  6. A Personal Experience of Discrimination

    personal essay on discrimination

VIDEO

  1. Essay on Gender Discrimination in english// Few Sentences about Gender Discrimination

  2. Disparate Impact vs. Disparate Treatment at Work

  3. The Family and Medical Leave Act in the DaPrato v. MWRA Case

  4. Criminal Justice: Minority Populations Discrimination and Racial Disparity

  5. GENDER DISCRIMINATION Essay in English// Beautiful handwriting

  6. On being fat

COMMENTS

  1. Essays About Discrimination: Top 5 Examples and 8 Prompts

    Essay On Discrimination For Students In Easy Words by Prateek. 2. Personal Discrimination Experience by Naomi Nakatani. 3. Prejudice and Discrimination by William Anderson. 4. Socioeconomic Class Discrimination in Luca by Krystal Ibarra. 5. The New Way of Discrimination by Writer Bill.

  2. Personal experiences with discrimination

    5. Personal experiences with discrimination. Roughly seven-in-ten black Americans (71%) say they have personally experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly because of their race or ethnicity, including 11% who say this is something they experience regularly. Far lower shares of whites (30%) and Hispanics (52%) report experiencing ...

  3. Personal Essays About Casual Racism With Friends And Family ...

    We delve into the issue on this week's episode of the Code Switch podcast, featuring writer Nicole Chung and Code Switch's Shereen Marisol Meraji, Gene Demby and Karen Grigsby Bates. We also asked ...

  4. A Personal Experience of Discrimination

    My personal experience. I am a well travelled youth who believes in living life to the fullest and making the most out of it. Two years ago, I embarked on a trip to France in a bid to further fulfill my life principle. It was then that I experience ostracism and discrimination in the hands of the joyous Parisians.

  5. 618 Discrimination Essay Topics & Writing Examples

    Discrimination is a social determinant of health and is a form of stressor experienced by communities of color and minorities in different parts of the world. AIDS Discrimination in "Philadelphia" (1993) by Jonathan Demme. "Philadelphia" is the film that appeared on the screens at the end of the 20th century.

  6. Discrimination: What it is and how to cope

    Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. That's the simple answer. But explaining why it happens is more complicated. The human brain naturally puts things in categories to make sense of the world.

  7. Thinking About Discrimination: 8 Basic Issues

    Commonly, minorities find themselves blocked within several of these institutions at the same time. Inevitably, that blockage affects the person's assessment of self and feelings of social ...

  8. Discrimination in the United States of America Personal Essay

    The present paper is devoted to a narrower notion of discrimination; it is discrimination in America that has an evident ethnical bias, it is discrimination against foreigners. Get a custom essay on Discrimination in the United States of America. Due to the development of democratic societies, among which, America is the leading one, the keen ...

  9. Discrimination Essays: Samples & Topics

    LGBTQ Discrimination: Overcoming Prejudice and Fostering Inclusion. 2. Conflict Theory and Ageism in Aging Discrimination. 3. The Challenges To Get Equal Pay For Equal Work. 4. American Dream And Discrimination In "Stranger In The Village" 5. Islamophobia In The Modern World. 6. Canada's Indian Act: An Affront To Human Dignity. 7.

  10. Understanding and Combating Discrimination

    Discrimination is defined as the unjust or prejudicial treatment of individuals or groups based on their race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. It is a pervasive issue that has existed throughout history and continues to be a problem in modern society. Understanding discrimination is crucial to addressing and combating it.

  11. It's time to stop mental health discrimination at work

    Job seekers reluctant to mention a mental illness history were more likely to be employed six months later. Discrimination against people with mental illness is often rooted in preconceived notions about what mental illness is and how it affects someone's ability to work. These negative misconceptions are forms of mental illness stigma.

  12. Free Discrimination Essays and Research Papers on GradesFixer

    9. Gender and Racial Discrimination on Example of "Hidden Figures" & "The Hate U Give". 3 pages / 1171 words. Hidden Figures tells the story of 3 African-American women working at NASA and how they worked as "human computers" to defy racial and gender stereotypes and help America get back in the Space Race.

  13. Prejudice and Discrimination: [Essay Example], 885 words

    Prejudice involves favoring one's in-group and devaluing individuals in an out-group based solely on group membership (Whitley & Kite, 2016). Discrimination and prejudice can have detrimental effects on the well-being of individuals who belong to out-groups, including higher stress levels, lower wages, increased rates of detention, and poorer ...

  14. Discrimination Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

    405 essay samples found. Discrimination, a pervasive social issue, entails unjust treatment based on an individual's identity traits like race, gender, or ethnicity. Essays might explore the psychological, social, and systemic roots of discrimination, its various manifestations, and its detrimental effects on individuals and communities.

  15. Racism, bias, and discrimination

    Racism, bias, and discrimination. Racism is a form of prejudice that generally includes negative emotional reactions to members of a group, acceptance of negative stereotypes, and racial discrimination against individuals; in some cases it can lead to violence. Discrimination refers to the differential treatment of different age, gender, racial ...

  16. Discrimination Essay

    February 13, 2024 by Prasanna. Discrimination Essay: According to the Oxford dictionary, discrimination is the practice of treating an individual or a particular group in society unfairly than others based on age, race, sex, religion, finance, etc. Throughout history, we have seen discrimination tainting every society and nation.

  17. Prejudice and Discrimination

    Prejudice and Discrimination Essay. Prejudice and discrimination are impossible to avoid when living in society. However, you rarely think about them, if you are not a subject of bias. At least, what I can say about myself is that I have never really thought about prejudice and discrimination, their essence, and consequences.

  18. Discrimination Essay

    Discrimination in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is defined as "a prejudiced or prejudicial outlook, action, or treatment.". Discrimination is a decision or an act that negatively treats a group based on a certain ground of ideology in which the group belongs to. The discrimination is usually always done by the people who are in power or ...

  19. Essay on Discrimination

    Discrimination is a pervasive social issue that exists in various forms across the globe. It is an unjust practice that involves the unequal treatment of individuals based on their particular attributes such as race, gender, age, religion, or sexual orientation. This essay explores the nature, impacts, and potential solutions to this complex issue.

  20. Examples of discrimination in society today

    Discrimination can be based on many different characteristics—age, gender, weight, ethnicity, religion, or even politics. For example, prejudice and discrimination based on race is called racism. Oftentimes, gender prejudice or discrimination is referred to as sexism. Discrimination is often the outcome of prejudice —a pre-formed negative ...

  21. Discrimination Essays: Examples, Topics, & Outlines

    Discrimination in Workforce Gender discrimination at work place means the way to behave with the employees in such a way that is to prefer one employee to other due to gender biasness. All over the world, this disparity among the men and women is condemned but still present (Mooney, 2012). One of the research conducted at the U.S. shows that the women get lower compensation than the men do ...

  22. Exploring Racial Discrimination: Insightful Personal Essays

    Personal essays on racial discrimination often employ a first-person narrative point of view to offer readers an intimate perspective of the author's experiences. This narrative choice helps establish a connection between the author and the reader, fostering empathy and understanding. For example, in his essay "Stranger in the Village," James ...

  23. What Project 2025 is and the biggest changes it proposes

    The centerpiece is a 900-page plan that calls for extreme policies on nearly every aspect of Americans' lives, from mass deportations, to politicizing the federal government in a way that would ...

  24. Opinion

    Donald Trump will arrive at the 2024 Republican convention — his Republican convention, finally and completely, without the dissent of 2016 or the pandemic that overshadowed 2020 — closer than ...