-The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
-Recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another.
Other terms:
Prejudice,
Bias,
Bigotry,
Intolerance
Narrowsmindedness,
Unfairness,
Inequity,
Favoritism,
One-sidedness,
Partisanship;
Examples:
A person may not intent to discriminate against another person, but it is still discrimination.
Some examples of discrimination include the following:
a)Harassment – inappropriate jokes, insults, name-calling or displays such as a poster or cartoons directed at a person because of their race, colour, sex or gender, sexual orientation, etc.
Ms. D, a study permit holder, moved out of her home stay because of the harassing behaviour of her host father. He would stare at her body or make comments about her appearance, and entered her room without her permission and hugged her “to express his fondness,” which she could not stand. The home stay agency has not taken any action after receiving her complaint of sexual harassment. A Japanese family has recently immigrated to Canada. The son is attending a local school and has been bullied because he is from Japan. He is called racist names, pushed around in the hallway, and told to “go home”. The parents complained to the teacher and the principal but the school has not taken any action against the racial harassment, and the bullying has continued. The student does not wish to attend school and his school marks have fallen greatly.Mr. C, a work permit holder, is working at a sushi restaurant. Other Asian and non-Asian workers in the restaurant tease him about being Japanese, and make jokes about Asians, other ethnic groups and gays and lesbians. They post cartoons on the staff bulletin board and make jokes about each other’s racial and cultural heritage. Mr. C. is very uncomfortable and tries to ignore it, but nobody else seems to mind and his boss doesn’t do anything about it.
b)Wage discrimination – An example would be when an employer offers a lower wage for a woman doing similar work as a man or offers a lower wage to new immigrant having similar experience/skills as a non-immigrant.
c)Discrimination in hiring – During a job interview, being asked inappropriate questions about child care arrangements if you are a parent or whether or not you plan to have children; questions about your disabilities or health limitations or problems; your age, your religion or any other personal characteristic protected under human rights; and not getting the job based solely on your answer to these questions and not your qualifications or experience.
d)Being fired when you are pregnant (sex discrimination) or are injured and need time off to heal (discrimination based on disability and the duty to accommodate). See description of “reasonable accommodation”
e) Discrimination in housing – When seeking an apartment for rent, the landlord tells you that “no children are allowed” (discrimination based on family status) or they won’t rent to people under 25 years (age discrimination) because “they’re too noisy and won’t look after the place”.
Some examples of different types of discrimination are
Ageism - Ageism is when someone is treated badly because of their age. We know that sometimes in our society teenagers and senior citizens are not listened to or given as much respect as others. (We know that is a generalization and that in some communities elders are valued for their experience and youth as the future.)
Racism - Racism is when someone is treated badly because of the colour of their skin or where they come from. We know that not all skin colours are treated equally in our society. Racism can be seen as bigger than just one person, and is a whole system that is trying to put a group of people down (this is known as systemic racism.) It can be explained as a collective failure by a society as a whole to provide a safe and just environment to certain groups of people, based on their skin colour, culture, or ethnic background.
Sexism - Sexism is when someone is treated badly because of their sex, gender, or perceived gender. Equal rights between men and women still do not exist. Although we’ve come a long way, there is still a long way to go. Therefore, when we talk about sexism, we almost always see this type of discrimination happen towards women.
Homophobia - Homophobia is when someone is treated badly because of their sexual orientation. Sadly, in our society if someone identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or two-spirit, they can face harassment. This behaviour usually comes out of the belief that being gay is wrong, or that if someone really wanted to, they could change and not be gay anymore. This is simply not true! Can you imagine if someone who was straight was expected to all of a sudden completely change who they were attracted to and be gay? It doesn’t seem too likely does it? And there is nothing wrong with being gay anyways! People have the right to be attracted to whoever they want, and live as whatever gender they want, free of harassment.
Transphobia - Transphobia can be defined as the irrational fear and/or hostility towards people who are Transgender (Trans) or who don’t fit into male/female gender norms.
Ableism - Ableism is when someone is treated badly because of a disability that they live with.
Fat-Phobia - Fat Phobia is when someone is treated badly because of their body size.
Classims - Classism is when someone is treated badly because of their social standing or how much money they have. We know that in our society a lot of times people get caught up in valuing how much money they have, what clothes they wear, and what kind of car they drive. Is this actually what makes them a great person? It can sometimes feel that way, but this is not true. It’s how you treat the people that are around you as well as how true you stay to yourself that makes you cool.
