Discrimination: Individual and Institutional

Key Concepts

• Discrimination: Differential treatment and harmful actions against minorities, focused on actions.
• Factors: Can be based on race, age, religion, and more.
• Levels: Can occur at individual, organizational, or institutional levels.

Individual Discrimination

• Occurs when a single person discriminates against a particular group.
• Example: A science professor refuses to allow women in his class.
  • Based on sex, but could also apply to age, race, religion, etc.

Institutional Discrimination

• Involves organizations or institutions discriminating, not individuals.
• Example: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
  • Overturned "separate but equal" schools for African-Americans and whites.
  • Demonstrates institutionalized unequal service and education.

Types of Institutional Discrimination

• Intentional Discrimination: Deliberate policies or actions that discriminate.
• Unintentional Discrimination:
  • Side-effect Discrimination:
    • Occurs when one institution's actions negatively impact another.
    • Example: African-American man in a town repeatedly gets guilty verdicts.
      • Influences job application outcomes due to a criminal record, even if unjust.
  • Past-in-present Discrimination:
    • Historical discrimination affects current situations.
    • Example: Post-Brown v. Board of Education integration issues for African-American students.
      • Negative past attitudes persist, causing ongoing discrimination.

Conclusion

• Discrimination can be intentional or result from systemic issues.
• Important to recognize the various forms and impacts to effectively address and mitigate discrimination.