Executive Summary
Discrimination is a phenomenon that is almost as old as history. It presents itself in different forms with varying effects on the victims. Activism against it attained top gear in the mid-1800s with the abolishment of slavery, the most severe form against mankind. However, this was not the end of discrimination; rather it was an eye-opener for victims and human rights activists to protest against other forms such as age, workplace race, disability, gender, and religious discrimination. An analysis of job and housing discrimination is presented with a focus on personal assumptions and experiences.
Introduction
Discrimination is the preferential treatment of an individual(s) based on his/her possession or lack of certain characteristics. Job discrimination is that discrimination which arises at the places of work Factors that include the presence of a high population of the unemployed create room for the vice. This course has confirmed assumptions previously held regarding discrimination.
At the job discrimination
As stated above, some employers are taking advantage of the high unemployment and consequent wage disparities as a basis for discrimination (Roscigno 3). The presence of near desperate workers creates room for employers to hire selectively especially with the economic meltdown. The course has only confirmed the occurrence as widespread and one under scrutiny.
Firms that hire minority groups (women and youth) are highly discriminative. This occurs as a result of the fact that they have less bargaining power and avenues to voice their concerns (Roscigno 4). The experience of being shunned by employers during vacations is more than enough evidence to support this. An increase in population especially of minority groups creates room for discrimination due to the scrabble for the minimal resources (Roscigno 173).
Discrimination based on the type of the firm and claims of job sophistication is not justifiable either. Some employers classify some jobs based on gender. In this case, they can only hire men for certain jobs but not women, for example, they can attribute it to men’s ease of mobility. Similarly, there is discrimination based on the assumption that women should only be hired for jobs that require minimal training and that are simple enough (Roscigno 4).
Housing Discrimination
The most prevalent aspect of discrimination in the housing sector is the neighborhood effect. This arises from the presence of specific areas for certain groups which dictate automatic discrimination tenants seeking housing in the ‘wrong’ neighborhood. Some tenants also prefer to live in their race/colour-friendly neighborhoods (Roscigno 6, 171).
Another proxy for housing discrimination is family status. In some cases, some landlords do not rent nursing mothers, while others prefer women with older children and others prefer those with none (Roscigno 197).
Demand for sexual favors by some landlords is also prevalent with the mean women facing it hard against them. Likewise, the archaic assumption that women cannot act as the economic heads of a household is still rife (Roscigno 188-189). In this case, some landlords will not offer tenancy to women seeking it.
Works Cited
Roscigno, Vincent. The face of discrimination: how race and gender impact work and home lives. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. Print.