Discrimination consists in treating a person, group or institution in a different and prejudicial way . This may be due to different reasons: race, sex, gender, ideas, place of origin, physical appearance, etc.

Discrimination is not new, since humanity has always discriminated against other individuals because of their resources, origins or intelligence, and even entire peoples because of their different ideas about religion or politics.

Here you can find relevant information about the different types of discrimination that exist.

Causes and consequences of discrimination

Discrimination occurs frequently in all societies. Although public opinion criticizes some forms of discrimination such as racism or sexism, it is hardly impressed by discriminatory events that can occur in everyday life, such as those suffered by obese people, for example.

Discrimination can be an individual or collective phenomenon, and can have different causes. Some of them are:

  • The economic or social situation may be the cause of discriminatory behaviour, either because of a bad economic situation or an environment that favours this type of behaviour.
  • Ideology is one of the main causes of discriminatory behaviour towards certain human groups.
  • Fear can cause entire villages to mobilize in a discriminatory manner against some people.
  • The submissive and imitative personality can cause some people to have insufficient critical capacity and simply let themselves be carried away by others.
  • The influence of the group also makes many people see discriminatory behaviour as normal.
  • The need or interest may lead to discriminatory behaviour towards individuals or groups considered as inferior.

Discrimination causes the person who is the victim to suffer a number of consequences.

On a psychological level, the person may experience anxiety, guilt, depression and feelings of loneliness . But those discriminated against may also suffer other problems, such as difficulties in getting a job, dropping out of school and even death.

Types of discrimination

The causes can be varied and the consequences devastating. However, there are different types of discrimination that we must understand . They are the following.

1. Individual discrimination

Individual discrimination is that which is performed by one individual on another . That is, it is when one person treats another person differently and negatively, without there being a differentiated contextual reason.

2. Institutional discrimination

This type of discrimination is characterised because it is public or private institutions that carry out some type of discrimination on the basis of sex, race or other reasons. Institutional discrimination is more complex than individual discrimination.

An example could be exclusive housing or a job offer that asks for the “Catalan” language, excluding those people who do not speak that language despite the fact that it is not a real requirement for the position to which one aspires.

3. Collective discrimination

A type of discrimination in which a group of people are treated as inferior . For example, discrimination against immigrants or the LGTBI group.

4. Structural discrimination

It refers to the discrimination arising from institutional policies that directly or indirectly favour some individuals and harm others. Although the policies of the institutions should be fair to everyone, this is not always the case.

5. Direct discrimination

The best known and most visible form of discrimination, in which the person who suffers it is treated unfairly by another person because of his or her characteristics . It is easier to detect. For example, not accepting a woman in a job just because she is not a man, or marginalizing a homosexual person because he has a different body language.

6. Indirect discrimination

It is a form of discrimination that is less visible and often goes unnoticed . For example, the imposition of norms or rules that seem harmless but in practice are not.

7. Negative discrimination

The person who is a victim of discrimination is treated in a discriminatory and prejudicial manner . For example, by not letting the disabled access to watch a football match.

8. Positive discrimination

Positive discrimination is that in which a disadvantaged group is helped to achieve equity . For example, with a different mark in a physical examination of an opposition. This type of discrimination is instrumental, that is, it pursues the objective of correcting a historical grievance towards a certain group. However, it is also a source of controversy and social debate.

9. Racism

Racism is one of the best known forms of discrimination . It is also known as discrimination on the basis of the race or ethnicity to which the person belongs, and occurs because an individual or several people belonging to one race treats another person or persons of another race with inferiority. For example, discrimination against people of colour, Jews or Gypsies.

10. Sexism

Also another of the most well-known forms of discrimination, in which the person who practices it underestimates people of the opposite sex . There are some theories about this. You can read about them in this article: “Sexist prejudice: explanatory theories”.

11. Maternity discrimination

Maternity discrimination often arises in the work environment, as it refers to treating a woman differently (whether employed or seeking work) because of the possibility of having children. There is a law that prohibits this type of discriminatory behaviour.

11. Religious discrimination

When an individual or group of individuals are treated unfairly and unfavourably because they do not practice or share the religious ideas of the society in which they live.

12. Age Discrimination

Age is the reason for discrimination . It is usually carried out, above all, in work environments, where the ideal age for working is considered to be between 25 and 45 years old. Older people may be left out of the labour market and not interested in certain job offers. This is also known as ‘old age’, although in certain contexts there is also discrimination against young people.

13. Discrimination on the basis of disability or illness

People may also be treated unfairly because they suffer from a physical or mental disability , or because they suffer from an illness. The consequences may be both personal treatment and access to jobs, among other prejudices.

  • More information about discrimination against people with functional diversity in this article.

14. Discrimination on the basis of physical appearance

It manifests itself when the person receiving the discrimination is not very physically graceful . Either because they do not have attractive physical features or because they suffer from obesity. It is known by the term ‘aspectism’.

15. Transgender discrimination

It is the discrimination suffered by those individuals who live a gender role that does not agree with their biological sex . For example, transsexuals. This form of discrimination is also known as ‘transphobia’.

16. Discrimination on the basis of political ideology

It occurs when an individual or group of individuals are treated unfavourably for not sharing political ideas with the society in which they live. This can generate from social marginalization to repression, as happened during Franco’s regime with thousands of Spanish communists and anarchists.