Introduction
People are born with inherent differences in the world. Culture in itself brings about differences among people not only in the globe but even among people in a country. On the same note, globalization has enabled people to move from one place and establish businesses or even work in various parts of the world.
However, not everybody thinks that the differences do not make people any inferior to others. Consequently, cases of people being treated selectively due to their inherent differences are rampant. Though measures have been taken to mitigate cases of discrimination, much needs to be done on the different types that are still taking place in our society.
Definition
Discrimination has been defined as treatment which is disadvantageous to an individual or a group of people. It is important to note that in the act of discrimination, it is not a must that one gets physically harmed. Discrimination involves all acts that will be unfair to some people or favoring them as compared to others based on any grounds.
Discrimination can be carried out by individuals, organizations or communities. Acts that are aimed at benefiting few people in a group whether they are intentional or unintentional are considered to be discriminatory (Zastrow and Karen 250).
Types of Discrimination
Discrimination takes very many forms, and people are sometimes unable to precisely recognize others. The first form of discrimination is the age discrimination where people are treated differently based on their age. Age discrimination takes place mostly in employment places where either old people or young ones are given different considerations during the hiring process.
However, it is paramount to note that favoring an older person instead of a young person in employment is not considered as discrimination. Not all people are blessed to be completely perfect, and disability is not in essence inability (Smith 211). Discrimination on the grounds of disability occurs when people are treated unfairly because of their current disability or their history of disability.
The other type of discrimination is caste discrimination. Some societies, for example, India have been grouped into castes depending on the economic capabilities of people. Caste discrimination takes place when people from a given case are prevented from accessing some social services that another caste is allowed to use.
Similarly, denying one a job or differentiating benefits for employees on grounds not related to job requirements and experience is a form of discrimination. The discrimination may be based on sex, color, race or even weight and family background. On the same note, if one uses a language that some people in a group do not understand when the message is meant for the whole group, the person is discriminating on bases of language.
Different nations protect the diversity of their languages and have thus prohibited language discrimination (Zastrow and Karen 312). The most prevalent of all types of discrimination is arguably race discrimination. This occurs when people of different races are treated differently in an organization or a social place either public or private.
Similarly, discrimination on the bases of nationality has been reported mostly in employment. People from different nations are paid differently, given different benefits or provided with different working conditions. On the other hand, sex discrimination is also rampant. This occurs both in public and private organizations where members of a given sex group are treated as inferior to others.
It should be noted that sex discrimination is usually directed toward women. Similarly, there are people who believe that a given religion is superior compared to others and will treat people who profess other regions unequally. This will lead to discrimination on the grounds of religion.
To eliminate discrimination, some people have gone overboard and discriminated against people of the dominant groups. This form of reverse treatment is unfair and thus regarded as a type of discrimination.
Theories Regarding Discrimination
Various theories have been advanced some justifying discrimination while others are against it. Egalitarian theory advocates for social equity in every sense. According to this theory, people should be treated equally regardless of their social status, race, sex or religious background (Greene 45).
The theory argues that unless there is social equity, society will never be peaceful and there will always be tension among members which can result in violence. On the other hand, there are those theories that are in support of discrimination. The conservative theory claims that discrimination is necessary for the maintenance of social order.
In this regard, discrimination is depicted as an inherent human characteristic which is vital for human development (Smith 183). This is the same view that is held to be the anarcho-capitalist theory. However, the social labeling theory views discrimination as a mental aspect of minorities which eventually leads to social stigma.
Causes of Discrimination
Various explanations have been forwarded each giving the reasons as to why discrimination takes place in our society. To begin with, ethnocentrism has been argued to be the lead cause of racial discrimination. People take their culture to be superior and will, therefore, use it as a reference whenever they are doing anything. This makes them look down upon other cultural groups or people from different racial backgrounds.
On the same note, religion has been described as both a type and a cause of discrimination. Some religions put women on the periphery when it comes to their roles in society. By considering men as superior beings, these religions propagate discrimination against women in all aspects.
Traditionally, culture outlined the roles of both men and women in society. Even in the modern day world, there are some cultures which define the roles of men and women. Consequently, this has been used to discriminate against women in various places. Similarly, education is a cause of discrimination (Zastrow and Karen 254).
Some societies do not give female education the necessary support which makes women less educated compared to their male counterparts. Moreover, prejudices and stereotyping lead to unfair opinions regarding different people hence contributing to discrimination. Also, discrimination can be as a result of physical features or even unintentional acts.
Impacts on Productivity
Workplace discrimination is highly disadvantageous to a firm. Firstly, discrimination affects employee satisfaction, and this discourages the employees who are discriminated against as well as the other employees. This, in the end, reduces the morale of employees to work hard in an organization. On the same note, an organization that allows discrimination to prevail usually experiences a high rate of employee turnover.
This is costly to the organization because it loses experienced employees while at the same time it has to incur regular training and hiring costs. Moreover, the organization will have less committed and loyal employees who will move out at any slightest opportunity.
Furthermore, discriminatory practices give a firm negative reputation which limits the chances of the firm getting qualified employees (Greene 114). Additionally, there is a possibility of the firm incurring a lot of costs due to lawsuits from discriminated employees. This is also likely to affect the productivity of other employees who will not have the confidence required to work.
Arguably, the most negative impact of discrimination is the creation of an unfavorable working environment. Discrimination leads to mistrust, suspicion, hatred and negative attitude towards work which demoralizes employees and affects their output. Moreover, discrimination makes people loose their self-esteem leading to stress and sometimes depression. This negatively affects the output of these employees and thus the productivity of the firm.
Effects on Society
Discrimination has negative effects on the society in which it is practiced. To begin with, discrimination leads to cases where people from different races or gender are paid lowly. This economically cripples the affected group throughout their lives. On the same note, discriminated people usually tend to avoid chances of undergoing through the ordeal (Smith 269).
Consequently, this leads to limited social contacts and communication with other members of society. Research has shown that people with reduced social contacts stand a greater risk of suffering from anxiety and depression. Furthermore, avoidance only helps in enhancing discrimination.
On the other hand, discrimination leads to cases of self-denial. This makes members of the vulnerable group to soften or even do away with the character that exposes them to discrimination. Unfortunately, the result of self-denial fulfills the aim of discrimination by making the discriminated group adopt character traits of the dominant group (Greene 56).
Discrimination also leads to high rates of unemployment in society when people either stop searching for employment or stop working due to discriminatory activities. The worst consequence of discrimination is probably the eruption of violence. The discriminated groups in some instances result in violence as a way of protection. This leads to the destruction of property and in some cases death.
Effects on Children
Children are possibly the most vulnerable group in any society. As a result, any societal evil highly affects them compared to other members of society. It must be noted that discrimination has varied effects on children, whether the activities are aimed directly at children or their parents. Discrimination directed towards children mostly takes place in schools and other social amenities.
This has been found to affect the performance of children in schools as well as in sports. Children will be less motivated to involve themselves in various extra curriculum activities if they know that the likelihood of discrimination is high. Similarly, discrimination among children leads to cases of low self-esteem where children consider themselves as unworthy in society.
These children will most likely prefer not to participate in class discussions due to the fear of being discriminated. In other cases, they will opt not to associate with other people and instead stay on their own. This affects the confidence of children in their activities and leads to emotional scars which are sometimes hard to heal. Extreme effects include poor psychological health and even cases of suicide (Smith 236).
Laws against Discrimination
The government has initiated and implemented various policies to protect people against discrimination. To begin with, the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibit discrimination of any candidate who has applied for a job on the grounds of disability, if the person can perform the essential duties of the job. The Act has given the disabled people ground to fight for their position in society.
On the same note, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 requires that every member of the society shall be treated equally despite their racial origin. Similarly, there is the Civil Rights Act of 1871 which was amended in 1983 to illegalize the deprivation of the rights of any person on any grounds. There is also the Employment Non-Discrimination Act which prohibits employers from discriminating employees based on gender during hiring.
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act spells out that anybody who is at least 40 years of age should not be discriminated on the grounds of age. The Equity Pay Acts also prohibits discrimination in pay on any grounds other than job groups. These are just but few Acts that prohibit discrimination (Smith 275).
Conclusion
Discrimination is a reality in our society, and we cannot assume it. The act is not only against human rights but also a social evil that has far-reaching effects on any nation. Women, disabled people, people from minority races and people from various religious backgrounds are finding it difficult to express their opinions. Right from the privacy of our homes to national forums, discrimination is slowly outweighing social justice and causing massive negative effects.
In this regard, it is upon individuals to start the fight against every form of discrimination which is a social evil and cannot be justified regardless of the explanation used. The government should also ensure adherence to the laws against discrimination. Ensuring that discrimination is thrown into the dustbin of oblivion will make the world a better place to live in.
Works Cited
Greene, Roberta R. Human Behavior Theory and Social Work Practice: Second Edition. Piscataway: Transaction Publishers, 2000. Print.
Smith, Nicholas. Basic Equality and Discrimination: Reconciling Theory and Law. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, 2011. Print.
Zastrow, Charles H., and Karen Kay Kirst-Ashman. Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment. Stanford: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.