Discrimination | Definition & Examples

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[{"p":1,"t":165494},{"p":1,"t":667287},{"p":1,"t":474816},{"p":1,"t":2175525},{"p":1,"t":2078487},{"p":1,"t":2237934},{"p":13,"t":275840},{"p":1,"t":2238206},{"p":1,"t":2073658},{"p":1,"t":551073}], "sequence": 1, "topics": {} }); </script> <article class="article-content container-lg qa-content px-0 pt-0 pb-40 py-lg-20 content " data-topic-id="165494"> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col-auto"> <div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/discrimination-society">discrimination</a> </div> <button 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His contributions to SAGE Publications's  <em>International Encyclopedia of Political Science</em>...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Wilhelm Heitmeyer</span>, <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Kurt-Salentin/9560784" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Kurt Salentin</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Professor, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence, Bielefeld University. His contributions to SAGE Publications's  <em>International Encyclopedia of Political Science</em>...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Kurt Salentin</span><span class="text-gray-700 mx-5">•</span><a class="see-all border-gray-700 gtm-byline" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/discrimination-society/additional-info#contributors">All</a> </div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-02-07T00:00:00CST" >Feb 7, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/discrimination-society/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/money/John-A-List" topicid="2131339">John A. List</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/anti-Semitism" topicid="27646">anti-Semitism</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/homophobia" topicid="1758377">homophobia</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/sexism" topicid="537055">sexism</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/racism" topicid="488187">racism</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/audism" topicid="1945796">audism</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/discrimination-society"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1238765"></span>discrimination</strong>, the intended or accomplished differential treatment of persons or social groups for reasons of certain generalized traits. The targets of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="discrimination" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discrimination" data-type="MW">discrimination</a> are often <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/minority" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">minorities</a>, but they may also be majorities, as black people were under <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/apartheid" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">apartheid</a> in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Africa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">South Africa</a>. For the most part, discrimination results in some form of harm or disadvantage to the targeted persons or groups. An ever-growing number of terms have been coined to label forms of discrimination, such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/racism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">racism</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/sexism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">sexism</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/anti-Semitism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">anti-Semitism</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/homophobia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">homophobia</a>, transphobia, or cissexism (discrimination against <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/transgender" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">transgender</a> persons), <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/classism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">classism</a> (discrimination based on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-class" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">social class</a>), lookism (discrimination based on physical appearance), and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/ableism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">ableism</a> (discrimination based on disability).</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">While intentional discrimination occurs at the level of individuals, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/institutional-racism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">institutional discrimination</a> denotes explicit policies of social institutions that exclude, impede, or otherwise harm certain groups. Well-known examples are laws restricting the rights of racial or ethnic minorities or denying women the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/suffrage" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">franchise</a>. By contrast, structural (i.e., indirect) discrimination characterizes policies that are neutral in intent and implementation (e.g., <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/race-human" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">race</a> or class-neutral <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/college-education" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">college</a> admissions policies) but are nevertheless potentially harmful to minorities. Opponents of structural discrimination hold that states have an obligation to bring about equal life chances for all, a duty that entails <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="proactive" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proactive" data-type="MW">proactive</a> compensation (e.g., through <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/affirmative-action" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">affirmative action</a>) by some institutions for the unequal treatment that minorities have experienced in the past or continue to experience in other social systems.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Social-psychological explanations of discrimination based on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-identity-theory" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">social identity theory</a> presume that humans rely on the groups they belong to for a part of their identity. Belonging to a group that is more prestigious and powerful than others boosts one’s sense of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/self-esteem" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">self-esteem</a>. Discrimination that entails debasing and impairing out-group members or denying them access to resources and wealth serves the purpose of strengthening the relative position of one’s in-group and also indirectly boosts individual self-esteem. <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Empirical" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Empirical" data-type="MW">Empirical</a> studies confirm that persons with a low sense of social recognition display more out-group devaluation and group-focused <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="enmity" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enmity" data-type="MW">enmity</a> based on an <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/ideology-society" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">ideology</a> of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/human-being" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">human</a> inequality. Negative attitudes toward different out-groups (ethnic and religious minorities, women, and people who are disabled or homeless) are strongly correlated with each other, indicating the unspecific nature of discrimination.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Wilhelm-Heitmeyer/9560695">Wilhelm Heitmeyer</a></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Kurt-Salentin/9560784">Kurt Salentin</a></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":165494,"pageLength":354,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.9"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.9' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Discrimination | Definition & Examples | Britannica