discrimination prevention essay

Discrimination: What it is and how to cope

For many people, discrimination is an everyday reality. Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation.

• Racism, Bias, and Discrimination

What is discrimination?

Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. That’s the simple answer. But explaining why it happens is more complicated.

The human brain naturally puts things in categories to make sense of the world. Very young children quickly learn the difference between boys and girls, for instance. But the values we place on different categories are learned—from our parents, our peers, and the observations we make about how the world works. Often, discrimination stems from fear and misunderstanding.

Stress and health

Discrimination is a public health issue. Research has found that the experience of discrimination—when perceived as such—can lead to a cascade of stress-related emotional, physical, and behavioral changes . Stress evokes negative emotional responses, such as distress, sadness, and anger, and can often lead to an increase in behaviors that harm health, such as alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use, and a decrease in healthy activities, such as sleep and physical activity.

Discrimination can be damaging even if you haven’t been the target of overt acts of bias. Regardless of your personal experiences, it can be stressful just being a member of a group that is often discriminated against, such as racial minorities or individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

The anticipation of discrimination creates its own chronic stress. People might even avoid situations where they expect they could be treated poorly, possibly missing out on educational and job opportunities.

Discrimination, big and small

Laws are in place to protect people from discrimination in housing and employment.

• The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability.
• The Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, sex, ethnic origin, age, and disabilities.

Unfortunately, discrimination still occurs.

Yet experts say that smaller, less obvious examples of day-to-day discrimination—receiving poorer service at stores or restaurants, being treated with less courtesy and respect, or being treated as less intelligent or less trustworthy—may be more common than major discrimination. Such day-to-day discrimination frequently comes in the form of “microaggressions” such as snubs, slights, and misguided comments that suggest a person doesn’t belong or invalidates his or her experiences.

Though microaggressions are often subtle, they can be just as harmful to health and well-being as more overt episodes of major bias. People on the receiving end of day-to-day discrimination often feel they’re in a state of constant vigilance, on the lookout for being a target of discrimination. That heightened watchfulness is a recipe for chronic stress.

Dealing with discrimination

Finding healthy ways to deal with discrimination is important, for your physical health and your mental well-being.

Focus on your strengths. Focusing on your core values, beliefs, and perceived strengths can motivate people to succeed, and may even buffer the negative effects of bias. Overcoming hardship can also make people more resilient and better able to face future challenges.

Seek support systems. One problem with discrimination is that people can internalize others’ negative beliefs, even when they’re false. You may start to believe you’re not good enough. But family and friends can remind you of your worth and help you reframe those faulty beliefs.

Family and friends can also help counteract the toll that microaggressions and other examples of daily discrimination can take. In a world that regularly invalidates your experiences and feelings, members of your support network can reassure you that you’re not imagining those experiences of discrimination. Still, it’s sometimes painful to talk about discrimination. It can be helpful to ask friends and family how they handle such events.

Your family and friends can also be helpful if you feel you’ve been the victim of discrimination in areas such as housing, employment, or education. Often, people don’t report such experiences to agencies or supervisors. One reason for that lack of reporting is that people often doubt themselves: Was I actually discriminated against, or am I being oversensitive? Will I be judged negatively if I push the issue? Your support network can provide a reality check and a sounding board to help you decide if your claims are valid and worth pursuing.

Get involved. Support doesn’t have to come from people in your family or circle of friends. You can get involved with like-minded groups and organizations, whether locally or online. It can help to know there are other people who have had similar experiences to yours. And connecting with those people might help you figure out how to address situations and respond to experiences of discrimination in ways you haven’t thought of.

Help yourself think clearly. Being the target of discrimination can stir up a lot of strong emotions including anger, sadness, and embarrassment. Such experiences often trigger a physiological response, too; they can increase your blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature.

Try to check in with your body before reacting. Slow your breathing or use other relaxation exercises to calm your body’s stress response. Then you’ll be able to think more clearly about how you want to respond.

Don’t dwell. When you’ve experienced discrimination, it can be really hard to just shake it off. People often get stuck on episodes of discrimination, in part because they’re not sure how to handle those experiences. You might want to speak out or complain, but you’re not sure how to go about it, or are afraid of the backlash. So instead, you end up ruminating, or thinking over and over about what you should have done.

In a calmer moment, it might be helpful to talk over the ways you can cope with similar experiences in the future. Try to come up with a plan for how you might respond or what you could do differently next time. Once you’ve determined how to respond, try to leave the incident behind you as you go on with your day.

Seek professional help. Discrimination is difficult to deal with, and is often associated with symptoms of depression. Psychologists are experts in helping people manage symptoms of stress and depression, and can help you find healthy ways to cope. You can find a psychologist in your area by using APA’s Psychologist Locator Service.

Discrimination resources

If you have questions about policies or concerns about discrimination in your workplace, the human resource department is often a good place to start. To learn more about discrimination in housing and employment, or to file a complaint, visit:

• Equal Opportunity Employment Commission
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

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• Psychology topics: Racism, bias, and discrimination
• Stress in America
• Talking to your kids about discrimination

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Essays About Discrimination: Top 5 Examples and 8 Prompts

You must know how to connect with your readers to write essays about discrimination effectively; read on for our top essay examples, including prompts that will help you write.

Discrimination comes in many forms and still happens to many individuals or groups today. It occurs when there’s a distinction or bias against someone because of their age, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

Discrimination can happen to anyone wherever and whenever they are. Unfortunately, it’s a problem that society is yet to solve entirely. Here are five in-depth examples of this theme’s subcategories to guide you in creating your essays about discrimination.

1. Essay On Discrimination For Students In Easy Words by Prateek

2. personal discrimination experience by naomi nakatani, 3. prejudice and discrimination by william anderson, 4. socioeconomic class discrimination in luca by krystal ibarra, 5. the new way of discrimination by writer bill, 1. my discrimination experience, 2. what can i do to stop discrimination, 3. discrimination in my community, 4. the cost of discrimination, 5. examples of discrimination, 6. discrimination in sports: segregating men and women, 7. how to stop my discrimination against others, 8. what should groups do to fight discrimination.

“In the current education system, the condition of education and its promotion of equality is very important. The education system should be a good place for each and every student. It must be on the basis of equal opportunities for each student in every country. It must be free of discrimination.”

Prateek starts his essay by telling the story of a student having difficulty getting admitted to a college because of high fees. He then poses the question of how the student will be able to get an education when he can’t have the opportunity to do so in the first place. He goes on to discuss UNESCO’s objectives against discrimination. 

Further in the essay, the author defines discrimination and cites instances when it happens. Prateek also compares past and present discrimination, ending the piece by saying it should stop and everyone deserves to be treated fairly.

“I thought that there is no discrimination before I actually had discrimination… I think we must treat everyone equally even though people speak different languages or have different colors of skin.”

In her short essay, Nakatani shares the experiences that made her feel discriminated against when she visited the US. She includes a fellow guest saying she and her mother can’t use the shared pool in a hotel they stay in because they are Japanese and getting cheated of her money when she bought from a small shop because she can’t speak English very well.

“Whether intentional or not, prejudice and discrimination ensure the continuance of inequality in the United States. Even subconsciously, we are furthering inequality through our actions and reactions to others… Because these forces are universally present in our daily lives, the way we use them or reject them will determine how they affect us.”

Anderson explains the direct relationship between prejudice and discrimination. He also gives examples of these occurrences in the past (blacks and whites segregation) and modern times (sexism, racism, etc.)

He delves into society’s fault for playing the “blame game” and choosing to ignore each other’s perspectives, leading to stereotypes. He also talks about affirmative action committees that serve to protect minorities.

“Something important to point out is that there is prejudice when it comes to people of lower class or economic standing, there are stereotypes that label them as untrustworthy, lazy, and even dangerous. This thought is fed by the just-world phenomenon, that of low economic status are uneducated, lazy, and are more likely to be substance abusers, and thus get what they deserve.”

Ibarra recounts how she discovered Pixar’s Luca and shares what she thought of the animation, focusing on how the film encapsulates socioeconomic discrimination in its settings. She then discusses the characters and their relationships with the protagonist. Finally, Ibarra notes how the movie alluded to flawed characters, such as having a smaller boat, mismatched or recycled kitchen furniture, and no shoes. 

The other cast even taunts Luca, saying he smells and gets his clothes from a dead person. These are typical things marginalized communities experience in real life. At the end of her essay, Ibarra points out how society is dogmatic against the lower class, thinking they are abusers. In Luca, the wealthy antagonist is shown to be violent and lazy.

“Even though the problem of discrimination has calmed down, it still happens… From these past experiences, we can realize that solutions to tough problems come in tough ways.”

The author introduces people who called out discrimination, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Barbara Henry – the only teacher who decided to teach Ruby Bridges, despite her skin color. 

He then moves on to mention the variations of present-day discrimination. He uses Donald Trump and the border he wants to build to keep the Hispanics out as an example. Finally, Bill ends the essay by telling the readers those who discriminate against others are bullies who want to get a reaction out of their victims. 

Do you get intimidated when you need to write an essay? Don’t be! If writing an essay makes you nervous, do it step by step. To start, write a simple 5 paragraph essay .

Prompts on Essays About Discrimination

Below are writing prompts that can inspire you on what to focus on when writing your discrimination essay:

Have you had to go through an aggressor who disliked you because you’re you? Write an essay about this incident, how it happened, what you felt during the episode, and what you did afterward. You can also include how it affected the way you interact with people. For example, did you try to tone down a part of yourself or change how you speak to avoid conflict?

List ways on how you can participate in lessening incidents of discrimination. Your list can include calling out biases, reporting to proper authorities, or spreading awareness of what discrimination is.

Is there an ongoing prejudice you observe in your school, subdivision, etc.? If other people in your community go through this unjust treatment, you can interview them and incorporate their thoughts on the matter.

Tackle what victims of discrimination have to go through daily. You can also talk about how it affected their life in the long run, such as having low self-esteem that limited their potential and opportunities and being frightened of getting involved with other individuals who may be bigots.

For this prompt, you can choose a subtopic to zero in on, like Workplace Discrimination, Disability Discrimination, and others. Then, add sample situations to demonstrate the unfairness better.

What are your thoughts on the different game rules for men and women? Do you believe these rules are just? Cite news incidents to make your essay more credible. For example, you can mention the incident where the Norwegian women’s beach handball team got fined for wearing tops and shorts instead of bikinis.

Since we learn to discriminate because of the society we grew up in, it’s only normal to be biased unintentionally. When you catch yourself having these partialities, what do you do? How do you train yourself not to discriminate against others?

Focus on an area of discrimination and suggest methods to lessen its instances. To give you an idea, you can concentrate on Workplace Discrimination, starting from its hiring process. You can propose that applicants are chosen based on their skills, so the company can implement a hiring procedure where applicants should go through written tests first before personal interviews.

If you instead want to focus on topics that include people from all walks of life, talk about diversity. Here’s an excellent guide on how to write an essay about diversity .

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Prejudice and Discrimination Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Prejudice and discrimination are impossible to avoid when living in society. However, you rarely think about them, if you are not a subject of bias. At least, what I can say about myself is that I have never really thought about prejudice and discrimination, their essence, and consequences. This course helped me realize that these phenomena are complicated and versatile. I have learned that they have many levels and can be formulated by the trends in television programs, commercials, music, and cultural developments. Well, I think it might be true because if since childhood we watch television programs that depict discrimination and bias, then we start thinking of them as of a normal way of building relations with people from outside our group.

Nevertheless, I believe that media culture is not the initial source of imposing belief that treating those who are somehow not like you differently is normal. What is the most robust influential factor is the process of socialization within your group. As a kid, you start it within your family. However, growing up in a family that criticizes discrimination does not necessarily mean that you will become an unbiased adult. What matters is the further process of socialization when you become a member of a bigger group that consists of people with various ethnic, social, religious, and other backgrounds. Seeing the difference every day, you start thinking differently than when you were a part of your small social group – family. At least, it was like that for me.

When I was in a family, I was completely unbiased because I always saw people who had similar backgrounds. When watching TV, I rarely thought that programs and commercials portray differences between people with different backgrounds; I just enjoyed the process. However, when I became a part of a larger group, I started noticing that I like people who are similar to my family members more than others who differ from me in some ways. Since then, I remarked that media also plays a role in this process showing differences between men and women, stressing on racial and class segregation. That said, what I believe is the source of bias is the subconscious desire to be involved with the members of your group that becomes stronger when you see that it is highlighted on television that aims at shaping particular attitudes to the member outside the group.

Prejudice and discrimination are just one side of the process of socialization. Another side of it is acknowledging that they exist and influence other people, trying to understand what makes you biased and what are the prejudices you have. What I can say about myself is that being in a group while studying the nature of bias and discrimination was a useful experience. It helped me become somewhat less biased because I saw people with different backgrounds gathered in one group.

In fact, I realized that we all are similar because we all have some prejudices and feel uncomfortable when sharing our feelings and thoughts. I believe that the outcomes of the course might have been different if I were not to share my feelings with the group or completed the assignment on my own because constant interactions with different people helped me reduce the prejudices, and sometime later the feeling of discomfort vanished, as I realized that I can trust these people and bias cannot be justified.

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How to Write a Discrimination Essay

July 23, 2024

A discrimination essay often focuses on a particular subject that has serious implications in society. Often of controversial matter, it covers topics and themes that include sexism, racism, religion or other.

In a general sense, such writings dive deep into the darkest parts of human psychology, finding logical correlations in people’s judgement of other humans. If this sounds like a difficult task, here are five of the best tips on how to write a discrimination essay.

Choose a Topic Close to Heart

Depending on the personal life experiences you’ve gathered throughout your life, there are multiple topics you might want to consider. For example, if you are a female, go back in your life and find a situation in which you felt discriminated. The same goes if your are male or if you have a different sexual orientation, religion, race, marital status, other gender or disability. If a person close to you has felt discrimination, you might want to consider college essays writing help on that topic. In all cases, be sure that you will be able to work with a certain sense of sincerity.

Do Your Research Properly

Whatever the case may be, make sure to do your research properly. Don’t head out with just your story in mind, but rather consider the widespread implications of the discrimination you are going to tell about. There are a lot of freely available statistic and reports online that will be able to help out. However, make sure that these statistics are backed up by real research and that the facts you find are true.

Make Your Arguments and Counterpoints Stick

A lot of people who wonder how to “ do my essay ” go forth trying to present how they feel and disregard the science and research behind counterpoints to their arguments. If you want to create a truly impactful essay, like persuasive essay about bullying, make sure to discuss the situation from different points of view.

Consider what people who disregard the discrimination have to say and whether they do have facts to back it up. Then, carefully go through the facts you’ve found and through proper analysis and logic make your arguments and counterpoints. Be sure to really make them stick.

Follow the Read-Write-Revise Rule

Even though you are currently learning, don’t forget the important rule in writing content on any subject. Make sure to read, write and revise. Before starting to making a discrimination essay paper, find a few good examples and read them. While reading analyze what makes them great.

Note down your thoughts and then revise them. After that, when starting to create your essay, make sure to read the points you’ve noted down first.

The read-write-revise rule is important in each of your steps towards creating a powerpoint presentation paper. Furthermore, remember the key ingredients that will help you with how to make an essay discrimination paper.

Read-Write-Revise Technique

• Research – Make sure to have Pen and Paper with you at all times when doing your research. Note down everything important. Revise your points when going forward with the next step.
• Analysis – Get a few great examples. Read and analyse them. Note down the most important factors and then revise your points when going forward with the next step.
• Planning – Read everything you’ve gathered so far. Plan out your discrimination essay in an organized outline with a strong introduction, thesis and conclusion. Revise your plan.
• Writing – Read your plan, write your papers and revise it.
• Revision – Read your essay, note down your mistakes, revise your points and finally, edit out and finish it.

Consider All Top Points

Place yourself in the shoes of your teacher or the people who are going to read your work and ask yourself what steps they will take. In fact, consider that you are giving tips to someone else on writing an essay on discrimination. This kind of out-of-the-box analysis will help you better organize your own idea of what a good article is.

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Ending Discrimination in Education: a key instrument to protect the right to education

With the world’s most vulnerable children and youth at risk of missing out on education as a fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, UNESCO is urging all countries to protect better the fundamental right to learn by ratifying the Convention against Discrimination in Education, adopted on 14 December 60 years ago. 

As part of a new campaign to raise awareness of the Convention, UNESCO is  launching a conversation  about extending our understanding of the right to education to reflect increasingly crucial global needs, namely digital inclusion, learners’ data privacy and access to lifelong learning.

The Convention, the first legally binding international instrument entirely dedicated to the right to education, has been ratified by 106 countries to date: 28% of countries in the Asia Pacific region, 46.8% in sub-Saharan Africa, 60.6% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 63.1% in Arab States to 68% and 88% respectively in Western Europe and North America, and Eastern Europe.

When they ratify the Convention, countries establish, or upgrade, policy and/or legal frameworks to meet international standards, guarantee the right to education and counter discrimination. As such, the Convention represents a powerful tool to advance the 4th Sustainable Development Goal “to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all."

Discrimination remains pervasive in education, whether on the basis of disability, gender, language, income, ethnicity, religion, migration or displacement status. About 258 million children and youth around the world are out of school, while 773 million adults, two-thirds of whom are women, are illiterate, according to data from UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities worldwide, increasing the likelihood that vulnerable students be left behind. UNESCO estimates that over 24 million learners, from the pre-primary to tertiary levels, including more than 11 million girls, risk dropping out of education. According to UNESCO’s Global Monitoring Report, about 40% of low and lower-middle income countries have not been able to support disadvantaged learners during school closures, exacerbating inequalities. One third of students – close to 500 million – were not able to access remote learning solutions, underlining the urgency of making connectivity a right.

To build back better, education systems must integrate rights-based, inclusive and non-discriminatory practices in line with the obligations enshrined in the Convention. 

UNESCO’s “End Discrimination in Education” campaign aims to raise awareness of the Convention, strengthen implementation and monitoring, extend ratification and stimulate reflection on new related rights needed to prevent an exacerbation of inequalities in the digital age.

• Media Contact:  Clare O’Hagan
• Read the  text of the Convention
• Join the UNESCO  ‘Say no to discrimination in education’  #RightToEducation campaign 
• UNESCO’s work on the  right to education
• UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Related items

• Right to education
• SDG: SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

This article is related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals .

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Home Essay Samples Social Issues

Essay Samples on Discrimination

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Race And Sex: A Judicial Chronology Of The Battle With Discrimination

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Main Reasons of the Discrimination Cases in the Primary Schools of Bangladesh

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The Issue of Colorism in The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line by Charles W. Chesnutt

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How Maya Angelou Addresses Bigotry in Her Poem Still I Rise

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The Problem Of Discrimination In "A Class Divided"

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Legal Conciousness against the Discriminatory Laws and Stereotypes

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Discrimination Against Transgender People in India

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Human Rights: How Is The LGBTQ + Community Being Treated Globally?

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Jamaica's Independence In The Film "Coral Gardens"

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A Piece Of Cake And Discrimination

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Age Discrimination in the Workplace: Who is Affected by It and Who Commits It

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Overview Of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) And Discrimination

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Primary Source Analysis "The Talented Tenth"

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Sexual Harassment As A Form Of Sexual Discrimination

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Social Stigma And Discrimination Against Mental Illness

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The Role Of Implicit Prejudice In The Categorization Of Racially Ambiguous Faces

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Eliminating Racial Discrimination: The Challenges of Prevention and Enforcement of Prohibition

About the author, alex otieno.

"States Parties undertake to prohibit and to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race, colour or national or ethnic origin, to equality before the law", according to the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, notably in the enjoyment of political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights. State Parties shall also assure effective protection and remedies against any acts of racial discrimination. Both the preamble of the Charter of the United Nations and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaim the right of everyone to enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms, without distinction to race, colour or national origin. The UN system and its specialized agencies, through various conventions and declarations, prohibited discrimination and disseminated information specifically addressing the issue and proposing solutions to the problem. However, despite these efforts, many individuals and groups belonging to the minority continue to experience various forms of discrimination, especially in countries with a dominant majority or a history of colonialism and occupation. As we prepare to celebrate the anniversaries of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the General Assembly's adoption of the International Convention, prevention and enforcement of United Nations guidelines pertaining to racial discrimination are still a major challenge. As such, human rights for all are still violated in polities where racial discrimination persists. Manifestation of racial discrimination varies in different contexts. For example, in countries like the United States, which have enacted prevention laws, changes in social norms have led some commentators to use phrases like "colour-blind racism"1 and "laissez-faire racism"2 to capture the challenges of preventing racial discrimination and enforcing laws. Racial discrimination is manifested also in practices generally thought to be relics of the past, such as race-based slavery, as in the case of the continuing enslavement of dark skinned people in contemporary Mauritania,3 as well as crimes against humanity or, as argued by some, the genocide committed in the Darfur region of the Sudan. UN agencies, such as the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), have played a key role in organizing and mobilizing education and information relevant to the protection of all human rights. The OHCHR role in the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa, is an example, where the discourses arising from the event and the participation of thousands of non-governmental organizations, youth groups and networks had an impact on millions of people. The contribution of UNESCO in formulating declarations and conventions -- such as the Declaration on Fundamental Principles concerning the Contribution to the Mass Media to Strengthening Peace and International Understanding, to the Promotion of Human Rights and to Countering Racialism, Apartheid and Incitement to War, adopted on 22 November 1978 -- reveals the United Nations role in fostering discourses of respect and dignity for all. Specifically, Article 12 of the Declaration on the Prevention of Genocide, adopted on 11 March 2005 by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), "urges the international community to look at the need for a comprehensive understanding of the dimensions of genocide, including in the context of situations where economic globalization adversely affects disadvantaged communities, in particular indigenous peoples". This clearly indicates the recognition of the complex factors in facilitating discriminatory practices leading to genocide. It is worth noting that, whereas genocide is not always directly linked to racial discrimination, they are often interlinked, as demonstrated by the 2005 Report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur to the Secretary-General.4 The Commission observed that genocide is often facilitated and supported by discriminatory laws and practices, or lack of effective enforcement of the principle of equality of persons, irrespective of race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin. Given that the Convention calls on States to prohibit racial discrimination and enact laws to protect citizens, it is clear that genocidal activities can be linked to the Government's violations of human rights. The Government of Sudan can, therefore, be held accountable for the estimated 1.65 million internally displaced persons in Darfur and the more than 200,000 refugees from Darfur in neighbouring Chad, especially since it was reported by the Commission of Inquiry that "the Government of the Sudan and the Janjaweed are responsible for serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law amounting to crimes under international law". It also reported: "Government forces and militias conducted indiscriminate attacks, including killing of civilians, torture, enforced disappearances, destruction of villages, rape and other forms of sexual violence, pillaging and forced displacement, throughout Darfur. These acts were conducted on a widespread and systematic basis, and therefore may amount to crimes against humanity. The extensive destruction and displacement have resulted in a loss of livelihood and means of survival for countless women, men and children. In addition to the large scale attacks, many people have been arrested and detained, and many have been held incommunicado for prolonged periods and tortured. The vast majority of the victims of all of these violations have been from the Fur, Zaghawa, Massalit, Jebel, Aranga and other so-called 'African' tribes." This indicates the United Nations role in establishing the nature and extent of the problem in Darfur and its ability to demonstrate that this was borne out of racial discrimination, showing that it is an ongoing problem that needs the attention of the global community and civil society groups. Exploring the importance of preventing and enforcing the prohibition of racial discrimination, as mandated by various UN instruments, can reveal the challenges of addressing persistent racial discrimination four decades after the Convention was adopted. Using the work of two authors, I shall illustrate here the social construction of race as means of generating discussions on racial discrimination and exposing racism as facile thinking. Consider "essentialist" formulation of race that views it as "a matter of innate characteristics, of which skin colour and other physical attributes provide only the most obvious and, in some respects, most superficial, indicators"5 and is, at least in part, the basis for enslavement in Mauritania today. The other extreme view is trivializing the category of race, arguing that since it is a social construction, race will disappear if we simply ignore it -- this ignores the ways in which race has deeply structured Western civilization for the last 500 years.It is important to consider the social construction of race in light of B. K. Obach's work detailing student responses to a course on racism.6 He observed that in the context of the United States, "students often think of race as a given biological fact based on established scientific distinctions, ideas that are strongly reified throughout society by the media, through government policy and by individuals who often embrace a racial identity". Challenging students to "think outside the box" by considering the origin of race as social is no doubt a mammoth task, but one that can be accomplished with tenacity and good pedagogy. A strategy offered by Obach is to acknowledge that the "socially constructed nature of racial categories can, in part, be demonstrated by reviewing historical developments in which the commonly used racial categories were established, in addition to showing the way in which those categories and their meanings have changed over time". He substantiated his work with Omi & Winnant,5 as well as Haney Lopez,7 to illustrate this. He noted the definition of Asian Indians as a case in point, observing that they "were determined by the courts to be non-white in 1909, white in 1910 and 1913, non-white in 1917, white again in 1919 and 1920, but non-white after 1923". Such conceptions can go a long way in exposing the fact that social relations, rather than some innate qualities, produce the hierarchical ideas regarding race. It can be argued that UN efforts at improving response strategies for tackling racial discrimination markedly improved following the paradigm shift towards a more inclusive and proactive one, "taking into account that systematic discrimination, disregard or exclusion are often among the root causes of conflict". In the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, CERD noted the importance of decision-making in strengthening the capacity of the Committee "to detect and prevent at the earliest possible stage developments in racial discrimination that may lead to violent conflict and genocide". Thus, the Convention seeks to frame prevention as a critical component of efforts to address racial discrimination and genocide. Although national actions for tackling racial discrimination and exclusion may exist, there is often an inadequate capacity to prevent cases of discrimination within the jurisdiction of the States with the worst track records. However, education and human rights as the main strategies by civil society organizations, which mobilize action and raise concerns regarding discrimination, can have an impact on both prevention and enforcement. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the "best practices" of institutional processes and models of race that are transformative and do not further marginalize racial minorities. This is best done by treating their experiences in ways that do not consider the role they must play in reporting instances of violation of their dignity. The international community must now take heed of the complexity of the politics of race and how it fuels human rights abuses, including genocidal acts and crimes against humanity, such as those witnessed in Darfur and the slavery in Mauritania. What is clear is that, although there is ample evidence of the consequences of racial discrimination in opportunity structures, including political and cultural products, health outcomes, well-being and dignity, concrete actions to address "hidden abuses" remain inadequate. It will take effective leadership within the various UN specialized agencies to prevent racial discrimination and bring to account groups and individuals responsible for human rights violations. Previous criticisms of the handling of situations that resulted in colossal rights abuses,8 such as those in Rwanda in 1994, should serve to motivate key individuals to recognize the need for prompt action. As The New York Times in March 2007 has noted regarding Darfur, "international leaders need to demonstrate that they can act as well as talk", in order to save lives and bolster confidence in the international system. Notes 1 E. Bonilla-Silva & T.A. Forman, "I am not a racist but...": Mapping white college students' racial ideology in the USA. Discourse & Society 11 (2002): 50-85. K. Bales, Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy (Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2000). 2 L. Bobo, J. Kluegel & R. Smith. "Laissez-faire Racism: The Crystallization of a Kinder, Gentler, Antiblack Ideology", Racial Attitudes in the 1990s, ed. S. Tuch and J.K. Martin . (Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1997) 15-42. 3 K. Bales & J. Reitz, Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Intolerance Relating To Contemporary Forms of Slavery. (Background paper prepared by Free the Slaves, Washington D.C., 2003). 4 Report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur. http://www.un.org/News/dh/sudan/com_inq_darfur.pdf 5 M. Omi & H. Winant, Racial Formation in the United States: From the 1960s to the 1980s (New York: Routledge, 1994). 6 B.K. Obach, "Demonstrating the social construction of race", Teaching Sociology, 27.3 (1999): 252-57. 7 I.F. Haney Lopez, White by Law: The Legal Construction of Race (New York: New York University Press, 1996). 8 S. Power, "Bystanders to genocide", The Atlantic Monthly, September 2001.

The UN Chronicle  is not an official record. It is privileged to host senior United Nations officials as well as distinguished contributors from outside the United Nations system whose views are not necessarily those of the United Nations. Similarly, the boundaries and names shown, and the designations used, in maps or articles do not necessarily imply endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

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Five actions you can take against racism and discrimination

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) says that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and that we all have the right to a life free from discrimination and degrading treatment.  

Unfortunately, the history of the world has seen too many crimes of hate and discrimination. But this doesn’t have to be the reality we live with . From the civil rights movement in the USA in the 1960s, to the fall of apartheid in South Africa, many people have come together to fight racism and discrimination , and they have achieved remarkable things.  

But the work is far from finished and we all have a role to play . There are things we can do as individuals, but we can also call on our decision makers to put in place policies and programmes to bring lasting change to our communities. 

1. Listen and educate yourself 

Pay attention to the voices of people who experience racism every day – listen to friends, classmates, neighbours, and community leaders. 

There are also a lot of articles, books, documentaries, films and podcasts on issues of racism, discrimination and privilege.  Listen to what the people in them have to say. Understand and confront your own privilege. Be prepared to feel uncomfortable at times. Many of us absorb biases and prejudices at an early age, so they are not easy to unlearn.

2. Raise awareness 

Share the resources that you have found useful with your community to help them learn how they can play a role in ending racism and discrimination. If you have younger siblings or family members, set a good example for them. Try to look for games or books that can help them learn that we all have a right to dignity and safety - there are lots online.  

3. Challenge everyday discrimination and racism  

Racism and discrimination happen around us all the time. Often it is in the form of jokes, stereotypes or insensitive comments and questions from our friends, family members or colleagues. If you witness a friend or family member saying racist or discriminatory things, you should talk to them, if you feel safe to do so. Approach them privately first – in person or via direct message.

They are more likely to be receptive if they don’t feel publicly embarrassed. Point out to them that what they are saying is racist or discriminatory and remind them that everyone has the right to dignity and that in many countries it is against the law to discriminate against a person because of the color of their skin, their ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. Encourage them to learn more about the historical context of racial prejudice and discrimination, and share resources that you have found helpful.   

If you see someone being bullied or harassed, intervene if it is safe to do so. 

4. Report racist or discriminatory content online 

Many social media platforms want their platforms to be safe and empowering for people of all backgrounds. If you see content that you think violates their guidelines, report it to the platform. 

If you see content in a newspaper or other traditional media that reflects prejudice, leave a comment or  send a letter to the editor to let others know that intolerant remarks are unkind and uncalled for. 

5. Is your school or university against racism and discrimination? 

Schools and universities should be safe places for children and young people of all races and ethnicities. Find out whether your school or university has a policy on non-discrimination and racism, safe ways to report incidents, support services, and programmes or initiatives to promote tolerance, diversity and inclusion. If not, work with other students and school/university management to start a discussion and identify ways in which your place of learning can become a safer and more empowering environment for all students.  

If you have other suggestions, share them in the comments below or submit a blog or spark .

Extra actions for young storytellers 

share your story .

It is important that the stories and experiences of people who face racism and discrimination are told. At the same time, we understand this can be very difficult and painful.  If it feels safe and empowering, tell your story and share your experiences.  

? Amplify the voices of people who experience discrimination and racism 

Rather than speaking for people, use your platforms to amplify the voices of people who experience discrimination and racism directly. 

✍️ Telling someone else’s story 

If you are telling the story of someone who comes from a very different background to you based on their race or ethnicity avoid using words or phrases that are stereotypical or insensitive. Think about how you are portraying the person – are you presenting them as a full human being with a range of interests and experiences? Make sure you do your research beforehand and think about the images you use – do they treat someone with dignity and respect, or do they perpetuate stereotypes? Would you like to be portrayed in this way? 

This also applies to telling the stories of people who have different experiences form you based on their gender identity, religion, socioeconomic group, migration status or disability.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Five things you and your family can do now to help create a more just society

Learning about racism and discrimination

View the discussion thread.

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Neag School of Education

Reducing racism in schools: the promise of anti-racist policies.

• by: Britney L. Jones
• September 22, 2020
• Community Engagement

Introduction

In 2020, the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others led to a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement across the nation and around the globe. The revitalization of this movement has come with increased public demand for policy change, and specific calls for anti-racist policies in schools. As a result, many educational leaders are grappling with what this means for their respective contexts, and the extent to which their school or district’s current policies measure up to public demand.

Educating and training teachers and administrators on how to enact culturally relevant and inclusive practices is one step towards eliminating racism in schools.

Educating and training teachers and administrators on how to enact culturally relevant and inclusive practices is one step towards eliminating racism in schools. Expressing a commitment to anti-racism through school policies, statements, guidelines, or codes takes these efforts a step further. Within the last decade, some schools and districts have penned their own anti-racist policies to detail the steps they are taking to disrupt racism within their locale. In this brief, I describe these policies and highlight recent initiatives aimed at eliminating racism in schools. As school and district leaders advance their own anti-racist policies and objectives, this policy brief provides guidance based on the practices of diverse districts in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Anti-Racist Policy in Schools

Anti-racist policies are usually documents drafted by a governing body and disseminated to staff, parents, and students in a particular district or school. Similar to a code of conduct, school handbook, or anti-bullying policy, the policy states the organization’s commitment to anti-racism and lays out procedures that must be followed in order to uphold the organization’s commitment to the cause of dismantling racism to create an inclusive, equity-oriented environment. Over the past decade, schools and districts, both nationally and internationally, have written and adopted policies to address racism, discrimination, and inequity in schools. U.S. districts often refer to these policies as equity policies, while in places such as the United Kingdom (U.K.), Australia, Ireland, and South Africa, similar policies are usually entitled anti-racist policies. Despite the difference in name, they often share similar objectives and features. Anti-racist and equity policies typically start with a statement of assurance that the board or governing body has considered the importance of racial equity, followed by a renunciation of discriminatory behavior within their context. Next, the document includes a definition of racism. Then, these policies describe the steps taken by the governing body to ensure equity or anti-racism.

Components of Anti-Racist Policy: Areas to Address

For this brief I examined over 25 publicly available equity or anti-racist policies from several states in the U.S. and from schools in Australia, South Africa, Ireland and the U.K. I found that most policies address racism through the lenses of:

• school environment,
• incident reporting,
• data analysis, and

After addressing these components, policies typically offer guidance or present action steps to support implementation. These include:

• providing a clear and accurate definition of racism for consumers of the policy,
• devising a plan for policy dissemination,
• appointing an anti-racist committee or point person,
• coupling equity/anti-racist policy with other school or district-wide policies, and
• partnering with external organizations.

Below I briefly describe each of these components.

School Environment: Creating an Anti-Racist/Equity-Oriented Culture and Climate

Most of the policies discuss the school environment at length. Generally, they describe ways in which school staff can create and maintain a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students. One way policies describe achieving this goal is through representation of multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds in curricula, texts, hallway displays, and digital media. They also state the importance of incorporating positive role models and discussing issues of race and diversity within classrooms and during school-wide events. Several anti-racist/equity policies advocate events focusing on diversity and empathy building, such as Friendship Week or Multicultural Week. Policies also describe building teachers’ awareness of racism and bias as a means to shift culture and climate in the school. These policies require teachers to be mindful of cultural assumptions and bias, develop racial literacy, enact cultural responsiveness, and understand their own identity. In the Anti-Racist Policy of Bure Valley School in the U.K., the authors offer specific examples of how this can be done, asserting that students “should be confident to speak, hear or read in their home language in school” and have their names “accurately recorded and correctly pronounced” by teachers (p. 2).

Reporting: Developing a System for Reporting Racial Incidents

Most policies also detail reporting requirements. Authors of these policies aim to ensure a system is in place to deal with incidents of racism and discrimination. This component often lays out a specific procedure for responding to an incident including requiring a written report, timeline for resolution, documentation of resolution, and family notification. In addition to forms for reporting, many anti-racist/equity policies require a racism logbook or place for complaints to be recorded permanently. These policies also describe ways in which schools could support students who may be victims of a racist or discriminatory act. Some policies note that support for students involved in an incident should be ongoing and coupled with psychological or mental health services. Additionally, some policies encourage schools to help students feel empowered to report incidents and develop strategies for dealing with racial conflict.

Staffing: Recruiting, Hiring, and Retaining Diverse Staff with Equity/Anti-Racist Mindsets

Many of the policies emphasize the need to recruit and retain staff members dedicated to anti-racism, and committed to providing equity-based training for new and veteran educators. In its equity statement, the Princeton Public Schools District in New Jersey states, “The goal is to attract, develop, inspire, and retain a diverse workforce within a supportive environment.” Several other schools and districts echo this sentiment within their policies by describing their efforts to diversify their staff, both in terms of demographics and beliefs. They attempt to fulfill this goal through recruitment of culturally and linguistically diverse teachers and administrators. They articulate the importance of hiring staff that mirrors the student population. Some districts or schools call for staff hiring to follow equal opportunity hiring procedures and the use of equity-oriented criteria for selection. For teachers already employed, policies name professional development and new staff training as opportunities to provide new learning around racial consciousness and inclusivity.

Data Analysis: Employing an Equity Lens to Identify Disparities and Inform Decision-Making

Several policies aim to challenge racism through race conscious data collection and review. According to these policies, “effective” review of data means testing for differences across student demographic groups in access, performance, and discipline. The Portland Public School District in Oregon suggests using data to identify and modify assessments that lead to over or under-representation of minoritized groups. For example, some policies identify focus areas such special education identification and suspension for review given the history of over-representation of students from minoritized groups in special education and among suspensions. Some state the goal of increasing the number of minoritized students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses. Others call for a closer look at how selective admissions criteria for enrollment may lead to adverse effects and the ways in which admissions testing may disadvantage students of color. Baltimore City Public Schools in Maryland states their plan to disaggregate data to “analyze trends, identify gaps, and develop racial equity priorities” (p. 4). To fulfill this objective of equity-oriented data analysis, some policies highlight the need for constant monitoring and reporting on progress towards goals.

Funding: Assessing and Allocating Funds for Equity Purposes

While undoubtedly important, funding is mentioned in only a few of the anti-racist/equity policies. Policymakers in Baltimore include the following line in their policy: “Ensure that purchasing/procurement practices provide access and economic opportunities within communities represented by students of color” (p. 4). This is one way that educational institutions can be mindful of their economic impact on the community. Schools may also decide to allot funds to ensure attainment of aforementioned objectives such as equitable hiring, staff training, and data analysis resources.

While undoubtedly important, funding is mentioned in only a few of the anti-racist/equity policies.

In sum, the policies reviewed tend to address five areas to enhance anti-racism and equity in their contexts. Creating equity-oriented objectives in the areas of school environment, incident reporting, staffing, data analysis, and funding is an important start. However, when drafting these documents, policymakers should include additional guidelines to support the implementation of anti-racist policies. Next, I describe some of the ways existing policies attempt to ensure attainment of policy objectives.

Components of Anti-Racist Policy: Process Elements to Support Implementation

Clearly and Accurately Define Racism

One way to create strong anti-racist policy is by providing a clear definition of racism to frame the policy. In addition to setting context for the policy, opening with a definition creates an opportunity to educate readers and norm on the school or district’s understanding of racism. Such definitions vary across policies. Some of the international anti-racist policies begin by distinguishing between personal and institutional racism and offer clear definitions for each. For example, in the U.K. the Truro School’s Anti-Racist policy relies on a definition from The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report, which states that institutional racism is “the collective failure of an organisation to 
provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin.” The policy continues: “when a child is subject to racist bullying or harassment, their behaviour and attainment are likely to be affected; if the behaviour is treated in isolation without taking into consideration the issues and effects of racism, this can be described as institutional racism. The racist element must be explicitly recognised and dealt with” (p. 2). This definition is provided before any other components of the policy are explained. Policymakers should consider how their context defines equity and racism before laying out a plan to address these issues. Consumers of anti-racist policy may be better equipped to follow subsequent guidelines if they have a foundational understanding of the problem and the purpose of the policy.

Policy Dissemination

The second way policymakers intend to make these policies come alive is through a plan for dissemination. Many policies are available online, on the school or district website. Other strategies for distribution include a physical copy in a designated location such as a school’s main office and inclusion in student and staff handbooks. One district states that a summary of the policy will be included in students’ yearly planners. Other ideas for dissemination include public displays in prominent areas of the school, placement in newsletters, and discussions during assemblies. Importantly, several anti-racist/equity policies name all parties that should review the policy, including staff, parents, students, contractors, service provides, and any other school visitors.  

  Appointing a Committee or Point-Person

The third way policymakers support implementation of these policies is by putting an individual or group in charge of monitoring the school’s progress towards goals. In some cases this is the superintendent or another school leader; in other contexts, an equity committee is charged with this responsibility. For example, in Shaker Heights, Ohio there is an equity task force made up of 11 educators, nine community members, and two students. In general, the governing body or individual is required to report to the school board, make recommendations based on data, promote alignment between equity and other goals, present tools or resources, and ensure compliance with state and federal laws. Most policies describe the need for an annual report or review as part of their action plan.

Coupling Anti-Racist/Equity Policies with Other School Policies

A fourth way to promote accountability and adherence to anti-racist/equity policy is by associating it with other school policies, especially those that are well established. Most of the policies reviewed for this brief are linked to other policies focusing on topics such as: discipline, behavior, anti-bullying, school safety, the staff code of conduct, and the student code of conduct. Several anti-racist/equity policies identify their relationship to standards and curriculum and federal laws regarding race and discrimination. Attaching these policies to existing initiatives helps to integrate them into the organizational fabric of these educational institutions.

Partnering with External Organizations

Finally, to support implementation of anti-racist policy, schools and districts should seek guidance from organizations already committed to anti-racist work. Several policies name equity-based or anti-racist organizations with which they were affiliated. This is an important component because it lessens the burden on educational systems to deal with complex issues of race and equity on their own and presents the opportunity to rely on the expertise of government agencies, universities, community organizations, research organizations, and anti-racist nonprofits. This can also facilitate and strengthen relationships between schools and communities.

A Promising Example

As mentioned above, many of the existing anti-racist and equity policies were drafted after 2010. Yet, recent events and the current sociopolitical climate signal the need to revisit and strengthen these policies. One district has done just this. In June 2020, the Indianapolis Public School District in Indiana, led by superintendent Aleesia Johnson, unanimously adopted a new Racial Equity Policy and publicly affirmed that Black lives matter in a resolution. Resolution No. 7861 and Board Policy 1619 – Racial Equity Mindset, Commitment, and Actions comes at a time when the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement is palpable. This district is demonstrating how to use policy, first, to take responsibility for systemic failure to adequately support Black and Brown students in the past, and, second, to plan for a better future.

In June 2020, the Indianapolis Public School District in Indiana, led by superintendent Aleesia Johnson, unanimously adopted a new Racial Equity Policy and publicly affirmed that Black lives matter in a resolution. Resolution No. 7861 and Board Policy 1619 – Racial Equity Mindset, Commitment, and Actions comes at a time when the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement is palpable.

With this new policy, the Indianapolis Public School District details specific action steps to increase racial equity. These include:

• partnership with the Racial Equity Institute (which helps organizations challenge systems of power and increase equity);
• restructuring, reducing, and auditing police presence and practices in schools;
• implementing a Supplier Diversity Policy with the aim of supporting local businesses (particularly those owned by women, people of color, and veterans);
• creating school-based equity teams for data analysis;
• increasing the recruitment and retention of Black staff;
• ensuring equitable enrollment across school types;
• shifting the budget to be more student centered and allocating funds to aid schools demonstrating the highest need; and
• considering how housing segregation impacts school choice and limiting boundaries to school access in the enrollment process.

We can all learn from this policy, with its high level of detail alongside the very public commitment by the board and superintendent. Not only does this new policy incorporate many of the aforementioned components such as commitment to reform in the areas of funding, data analysis, and school environment, the Indianapolis Public School (IPS) District has also developed strong plans to support its implementation. The district has partnered with the Racial Equity Institute to refine goals and train staff. IPS also signals the importance of considering other areas of anti-racist policy reform such as police presence in schools, and recognizing Juneteenth as a district holiday. It is also worthwhile to note that the IPS district acted swiftly by moving up the release of this new policy (initially set to be released later in the summer) to respond to recent acts of racism and injustice in the national news. Other districts around the country should follow IPS’s lead.

Recommendations for Creating Anti-Racist Policies

The components of existing equity/anti-racist education policies described above provide a general understanding of what these policies should include: equity-oriented objectives for school climate, incident reporting, staffing, data analysis, and funding. The creators of these policies should also consider providing a clear definition of racism, laying out a plan regarding how to communicate the objectives of the policy to the broader community, specifying the individual(s) who will oversee policy implementation, identifying the connections between anti-racist policy and other school policies, and outlining how to leverage partnerships with external organizations committed to increasing equity.

In addition to these components, I share two additional suggestions for those drafting anti-racist policy. The first addresses the accessibility of anti-racist policy and associated tools or resources. The second deals with attention to the personal and interpersonal work that must be done to implement anti-racist policy. I describe each in further detail below.

Accessibility

Several schools and districts made their policies and equity tools easily accessible to staff and the public alike. Having materials and policies readily available increases the likelihood that teachers and school leaders have access to and use resources. It also creates a more collegial environment as other schools and districts attempt to create their own anti-racist policies. For example, the Minneapolis Public School District in Minnesota shares an Equity and Diversity Impact Assessment tool on their website, and the Jefferson County Public School District in Louisville, Kentucky publicly shares their tools for equity analysis. Rather than reinventing tools, other districts may choose to cite and borrow from such existing assessments. The Shaker Heights, Ohio School District website provides a link to an equity resources page with suggested reading and links to equity-oriented organizations, while the Indianapolis Public Schools website has a link to its  “Say Their Names” toolkit “to help foster productive conversations about race and civil disobedience.” Links to these sorts of additional resources, readings, and campaigns offer helpful guidance as schools and districts across the country, and beyond, attempt to strengthen their anti-racist efforts.

Attention to the Personal and Interpersonal Work of Anti-Racist Policy Implementation

Districts and schools seeking to advance anti-racism and equity can attend to the aforementioned components to create effective policy. However, they must also consider the deeply personal work that is required alongside anti-racist reform. Many of these policies ask school staff to interrogate their own biases, positions of power, and privilege. The extent to which these types of personal reflection are encouraged and occur contextualizes policy implementation. Based on a study done with schools in California, the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education identified characteristics of schools with a record of narrowing the impact of racism and inequity. The authors stress the need for equity-oriented school leaders to guide staff and high levels of trust among members of the school community. This report highlights the need to consider the ways in which school-level features and interactions matter for the implementation of anti-racist or equity policy. Thus, in addition to focusing on the components within anti-racist or equity policies, we must also consider the characteristics and dispositions associated with positive change and increased student performance at the school and district level.

Some districts have supported educators in engaging in the vital personal and interpersonal work necessary to advance anti-racism and equity. Pat Savage-Williams, president of Evanston Township Board of Education in Illinois, shares advice for fellow board members looking to challenge racial inequity. In her article posted on the school board website , she promotes many of the components described in this brief, such as being data informed, using school budgets to limit disparities, and developing external partnerships. Additionally, she suggests that board members be willing to undergo a personal journey of reflection and understanding to expand their knowledge of racial issues, and should “expect opposition.” This example underscores the work that must be done on an individual and interpersonal level to make these policies come alive.

This policy described the topics addressed in anti-racist schooling policies and outlined the shifts educational leaders are making to strengthen and clarify not only their policies, but also their personal stance on racism and equity.Policymakers must consider how they define racism, the objectives of anti-racist policy, and how to make the policy actionable. After creating and revising anti-racist policies, policymakers must also consider the characteristics of the school community in which these documents will live. Following these steps can lead to policy changes that interrupt the status quo. As students and communities demand change, educational institutions must consider how they will respond and whether that response disrupts or facilitates systems of inequity.  

Britney L. Jones is a doctoral candidate in the Learning, Leadership, and Education Policy program at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education. Her research interests include culturally relevant and inclusive practices in K-12 contexts with a focus on teachers’ sociopolitical consciousness. Her doctoral work follows a BA in education studies and an MA in elementary teaching, both from Brown University. Britney also worked previously as a fourth-grade teacher and science curriculum developer. For more information, contact [email protected] .

CEPA is a research center based at the Neag School that seeks to inform educational leaders and policymakers on issues related to the development, implementation, and consequences of education policies.  Learn more about CEPA at  cepare.uconn.edu . Access the original PDF of this issue brief (including the complete Appendix).

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Discrimination Essay | Essay on Discrimination for Students and Children in English

February 13, 2024 by Prasanna

Discrimination Essay:  According to the Oxford dictionary, discrimination is the practice of treating an individual or a particular group in society unfairly than others based on age, race, sex, religion, finance, etc.

Throughout history, we have seen discrimination tainting every society and nation. This essay examines and analyses the causes and effects of discrimination in various forms on an individual, society, or nation.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long and Short Essays on Discrimination for Students and Kids in English

We provide children and students with essay samples on a long essay of 500 words and a short essay of 150 words on the topic “Discrimination” for reference.

Long Essay on Discrimination 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Discrimination is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Our world has always been parted into two groups: victims of discrimination and those who discriminate against the former. The definition of discrimination denies opportunity or equal rights to a specific group of people that may be differentiated based on their religion, skin colour, or gender.

However, discrimination could be confused with prejudice and stereotype. Stereotypes are mental images we have on a particular group of people because of their religion, culture, or gender. Prejudice stems from stereotypes. It’s the act of judging by popular stereotypes.

Discrimination Is a mix of both with the addition of oppression and unfair treatment towards the deemed ‘inferior’ group or individual. Keep in mind that prejudice is a result of attitude, and discrimination results from an action.

Human history is saturated with acts of discrimination. It takes different forms, and modern society is not an exception. It is at the stake of cultural history and has influenced many social, cultural, and economic occurrences that we see today.

One of the most common forms being discrimination based on the financial background of an individual. The world is divided. The oppressive rich and powerful one’s greed to earn more and frowns upon the one who doesn’t have it all while the poor struggles to survive.

When we come across racial discrimination or racism, globally, we see acts of violence and unfair treatment done against people of colour, usually against people who aren’t Caucasian or commonly termed ‘white’ in appearance.

You can now access more Essay Writing on this topic and many more.

This form of oppression started when European countries started colonizing lands outside Europe in the 1600s and claiming them to be superior. Sadly, racism is still prevalent in the modern world, where a person’s ethnicity derives them from equal rights and opportunities.

In the history of humanity, we have come across several gruesome acts of discrimination. One of them being the mass genocide of Jews living in Europe, led by the Nazis and their leader Hitler, during the 2nd world war. We still see acts of systemic racism in countries all across the group.

Sexism has also been a significant issue over the centuries. Women face discrimination and double standards in their homes and their workplaces. Here we see women being oppressed, abused, and mistreated by men. Sexism resides in every society worldwide, blocking women from attaining every other right that a man gets to enjoy.

We also see people getting discriminated against for their sexual orientation. Homophobia and transphobia are what every queer has to go through living in today’s society. They get judged, oppressed, threatened, and even illegalized just for being who they are.

Another form of discrimination that’s primarily affecting the world today is discrimination based on religion. Today’s world is so divided that one wrong act from a community will form a lousy rep around the group.

A country like India, which is constitutionally secular, is now fragmented because of fights struck against religious minorities. In America, after the 9/11 massacre struck, people developed this strange stereotype and hatred towards people who follow Islam, also known as Islamophobia.

To sum it up, discrimination forms a menace to society and the person who has to face such an adverse treatment as it is a straight denial of the equal worth of the victim. It is a violation of an individual’s identity.

Short Essay on Discrimination 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Discrimination is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Discrimination is as common and abundant as corruption in politics and pollution in the air. Every type of discrimination implicates the superiority of a specific group of people over another group of people.

In today’s world, we see several forms of discrimination: gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, education, finance, workplace hierarchy, disabilities, etc. All of these arises from prolonged superiority complex, ignorance, and indifference to people’s identity.

The world we live in now faces significant issues like racism, sexism, homophobia, and Islamophobia. All these issues pile up to build a society filled with injustice, inequality, and in general toxic.

We study all the gruesome and bloody acts and events that have stained humankind all because of discrimination in history. Nowadays, these acts of discrimination are getting recognized and being called out, but it’s far from getting eradicated.

The government should form laws to avoid it; parents and schools should educate children on equality. The fight against discrimination is a long and hard one, but we have to continue fighting this social evil.

10 Lines on Discrimination Essay in English

1. Discrimination is an act when a person is treated unequally and differently. 2. Stereotype and prejudice are not discrimination. They are a part of the discrimination spectrum. 3. Particular forms of discrimination are also punishable by law. 4. Discrimination is of many types—racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. 5. Two anti-discrimination movements around the world are- ‘Me Too’ movement (a feminist movement / a protest against sexism) and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ Movement (protest against racism and systemic racism. 6. On 1st March every year, the Zero Discrimination Day is celebrated. 7. On 1st March 2014, The United Nations, along with UNAIDS, celebrated this day for the first time. 8. This day generally focuses on no discrimination despite having different gender, sex, ethnicity, and physical disability. 9. Any form of discrimination violates human rights. 10. Acts of discrimination are deeply rooted in our society, and we have to get rid of it.

FAQ’s on Discrimination Essay

Question 1. What is Discrimination?

Answer: Discrimination is an act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong.

Question 2.  What are the four main types of discrimination?

Answer: There are four main types of discrimination– direct discrimination and indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimization.

Question 3.  What is the cause of discrimination?

Answer: All forms of discrimination are prejudice based on identity concepts and the need to identify with a certain group. This can lead to division, hatred, and even the dehumanization of other people because they have different identities.

Question 4.  What kind of discrimination is illegal?

Answer: Employers can’t discriminate based on race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age (40 and older), disability, or national origin.

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Focusing on prevention: Ending violence against women

Violence against women and girls is rooted in gender-based discrimination, social norms that accept violence, and gender stereotypes that continue cycles of violence. To date, efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls have mainly focused on responding to and providing services for survivors of violence . However, prevention—addressing the structural causes, as well as the risk and protective factors, associated with violence—is pivotal to eliminating violence against women and girls completely.

Prevention is the only way to stop violence before it even occurs. It requires political commitment, implementing laws that promote gender equality, investing in women’s organizations, and addressing the multiple forms of discrimination women face daily. The evidence about prevention has evolved considerably over the past decade, including as a result of various initiatives supported by UN Women.

Our solutions

UN Women has played a key role in developing evidence-based policy and programming guidance on prevention of violence against women and girls . As part of its prevention strategy, UN Women focuses on early education, respectful relationships, and working with men and boys, especially through, and in, the media, sports industries, and the world of work.

UN Women helps conduct research on attitudes, perceptions, and behaviours of men and boys, as well as young people, related to various forms of violence, and supports advocacy, awareness-raising, community mobilization, and educational programmes, as well as legal and policy reforms.

In Asia and the Pacific , for example, UN Women works with other UN agencies on the Partners for Prevention programme that aims to reduce the prevalence of gender-based violence in the region through behaviour and attitudinal change among boys and men, as well as increased institutional capacity and policy enhancements.

In partnership with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts , and with inputs from young people, UN Women has also designed a curriculum—Voices Against Violence—for those aged 5–25 years. The curriculum includes tools to help young people understand the root causes of violence in their communities , and to help educate and involve their peers and communities in preventing violence against women and girls.

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A framework to underpin action to prevent violence against women The joint UN framework draws together contemporary knowledge and practice in violence prevention. Its focus is on addressing the root causes as well as risk and protective factors associated with violence against women.  More

Voices against Violence Putting young people at the heart of prevention efforts, UN Women and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts have launched this non-formal curriculum to end violence against women and girls, designed for various age groups ranging from 5 to 25 years. More

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• Discrimination and Prejudice

Preventing discrimination

Children are never born racists or with discriminatory minds. They learn these behaviors from people and events around them. If parents or caregivers tell them things that make them see people in a different light, they will grow up with that idea, and it may be difficult to correct when they are adults.

For Parents or caregivers

The greatest prevention plan may come from parents. Parents must set good examples in their attitudes, words, and behavior towards others. Children are able to recognize differences and hold sectarian prejudices from the age of three.

Do not think children are too young to know about prejudice and discrimination. As children grow, speak to them about prejudice and discrimination and how that hurts people. Speak to them about the need to appreciate differences. 

Encourage our children to think through the consequences of prejudice & discrimination for themselves —Barnados

Encourage and support children who have been discriminated at. Doing nothing is not a good idea, as it will not make discrimination go away.

For young people

It is very important that you realize that the world is a very big place and there are humans living in many other places, very far from you. Because of that, people do things differently and are brought up differently. That means what you think is cool may not be so for another person, because of where they come from. Being different is a good thing. Can you imagine if every human was just like you?

Learn to appreciate diversity and respect people who are different in any way. People may be disabled, transgender, dark-skin, or have different hair colors. No one chose to be that way. If even people choose to believe or join specific groups, they have a right to belong and a right to believe what they want. We MUST learn to respect that, just as you would like others to respect you for who you are.

DID YOU KNOW...

• https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/introduction-discrimination
• https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/discrimination/what-are-the-different-types-of-discrimination/
• Barnardos & Save The Children, Play Fair by Dr Paul Connolly. https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/node/1765/pdf/1765.pdf

• Open access
• Published: 13 April 2008

Reducing stigma and discrimination: Candidate interventions

• Graham Thornicroft 1 ,
• Elaine Brohan 1 ,
• Aliya Kassam 1 &
• Elanor Lewis-Holmes 1  

International Journal of Mental Health Systems volume  2 , Article number:  3 ( 2008 ) Cite this article

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This paper proposes that stigma in relation to people with mental illness can be understood as a combination of problems of knowledge (ignorance), attitudes (prejudice) and behaviour (discrimination). From a literature review, a series of candidate interventions are identified which may be effective in reducing stigmatisation and discrimination at the following levels: individuals with mental illness and their family members; the workplace; and local, national and international. The strongest evidence for effective interventions at present is for (i) direct social contact with people with mental illness at the individual level, and (ii) social marketing at the population level.

Introduction

Widespread discrimination adds to the disability of people with mental illness [ 1 – 4 ]. The basic problem is this: many people with mental illness are subjected to systematic disadvantages in most areas of their lives [ 5 , 6 ]. These forms of social exclusion occur at home, at work, in personal life, in social activities, in healthcare and in the media [ 7 , 8 ].

From stigma to ignorance, prejudice and discrimination

What is stigma? The concept of stigma is necessary to develop an understanding of experiences of social exclusion, but it is not sufficient to grasp the whole picture, nor to identify what practical steps need to be taken to promote social inclusion. Stigma consists of three related problems:

The problem of knowledge: Ignorance

The problem of attitudes: Prejudice

The problem of behaviour: Discrimination

At a time when there is an unprecedented volume of information in the public domain, the level of accurate knowledge about mental illnesses (sometimes called 'mental health literacy') is meagre [ 9 ]. A population survey in England, for example, found that most people (55%) believe that the statement 'someone who cannot be held responsible for his or her own actions' describes a person who is mentally ill [ 10 ]. Most (63%) thought that fewer than 10% of the population would experience a mental illness at some time in their lives. This ignorance needs to be redressed by conveying more factual knowledge to the general public and also to specific groups such as teenagers, including useful information such as how to recognise the features of mental illness and where to get help [ 11 ].

Fear, anxiety and avoidance are common feelings both for people who do not have mental illness (when reacting to those who have) and for people with mental illness who anticipate rejection and discrimination and therefore impose upon themselves a form of 'self-stigma' [ 4 ]. Although the term 'prejudice' is used to refer to many social groups that experience disadvantage, for example minority ethnic groups, it is employed rarely in relation to people with mental illness. The reactions of a host majority to act with prejudice in rejecting a minority group usually involve not just negative thoughts but also emotions such as anxiety, anger, resentment, hostility, distaste or disgust. Prejudice may more strongly predict discrimination than do stereotypes. A recent study of terms used for mental illness by 14 year old school students in England, for example, found that they used 250 words and phrases, none of which are positive [ 12 ].

Discrimination

The scientific evidence and the strong message from service users and their advocates indicate that discrimination blights the lives of many people with mental illness, making marriage, childcare, work and a normal social life much more difficult. Actions are needed to specifically redress the social exclusion of people with mental illness and to use the legal measures intended to support all disabled people for physical and mental disabilities on the basis of parity [ 13 ]. The evidence from scientific enquiry and consultation with service users is unequivocal: discrimination means that it is harder for people with a mental illness to marry, have children, work or have a social life. This crippling social exclusion needs to be actively addressed. Laws already exist to ensure equality for all people with disabilities.

Action to support people with mental illness

Empowerment has been described as the opposite of self-stigmatisation [ 14 ]. Policy makers can provide specific financial support for ways in which individuals with mental illness can empower themselves or be empowered. Such specific support might include:

Promoting participation in formulating care plans and crisis plans for people with mental illness.

Providing cognitive-behavioural therapy for people with mental illness to reverse negative self-stigma.

Running regular assessments of consumer satisfaction with services.

Creating user-led and user-run services.

Developing peer-support worker roles in mainstream mental health care.

Encouraging employers to give positive credit for experience of mental illness

Enabling people with mental illness to take part in treatment and service evaluation and research.

Action to support people with mental illness at work

For some people with mental illness, allowance needs to be made at work for their personal requirements. In parallel with the modifications made for people with physical disabilities, people with mental illness-related disabilities may need what are called 'reasonable adjustments' in relation to the anti-discrimination laws. In practice this can include the following measures:

Having a quieter work place with fewer distractions for people with concentration problems, rather than, for example, a noisy open plan office, as well as a rest area for breaks.

Giving more or more frequent supervision than usual to give feedback and guidance on job performance.

Allowing a person to use headphones to block out distracting noise.

Creating flexibility in work hours so that they can attend their healthcare appointments or work when not impaired by medication.

Funding an external job coach for counselling and support and to mediate between employee and employer.

Providing a buddy/mentor scheme to provide on-site orientation and assistance.

Writing clear personal specifications, job descriptions and task assignments to assist people who find ambiguity or uncertainty hard to cope with.

Making contract modifications to specifically allow whatever sickness leave is required by people likely to become unwell for prolonged periods.

Providing a more gradual induction phase, for example with more time to complete tasks, for those who return to work after a prolonged absence or who may have some cognitive impairment.

Improving disability awareness in the workplace to reduce stigma and to underpin all other accommodations.

Reallocating marginal job functions that are disturbing to an individual.

Allowing use of accrued paid and unpaid leave for periods of illness.

Further, community bodies need to act to promote the social inclusion of people with mental illness. The following initiatives would address discrimination in the workplace and misinformation about mental health issues:

Employers' federations need to inform employers of their legal obligations under existing disability laws regarding people with mental illness.

Employers in the health and social care sector, when recruiting, need to make explicit that a history of mental illness is a valuable attribute for many roles.

Mental health services need to work with employers and business confederations to ensure that reasonable accommodations and adjustments in the workplace are made for people with mental illness.

The education, health and police authorities need to provide well evaluated interventions to increase integration with, and understanding of, people with mental illness to targeted groups such as schoolchildren, police and healthcare staff.

Professional training and accreditation organisations need to ensure that mental health practitioners are fully aware of the actual recovery rates for mental illnesses.

Actions needed at the local level

In local communities or health and social care economies initiatives are needed to promote social inclusion of people with mental illness. These are outlined in Table 1 .

Actions needed at the national level

In national policy a series of changes is necessary that spans government ministries, the non-government and independent sector and service user and professional groups. This is a vision of a long-term attack upon individual and systemic/structural discrimination [ 6 ] through a co-ordinated, multi-sectoral programme of action to promote the social inclusion of people with mental illness. Further social marketing approaches, the adaptation of advertising methods for a social good rather than for the consumptions of a commodity, are increasingly often being used [ 15 – 17 ].

In terms of change needed in mental health systems, several elements are necessary. An example is the development of psychological services designed to support people in or seeking work. Many people with mental illness experience demoralisation, reduced self-esteem, loss of confidence, and sometimes depression [ 18 – 22 ]. It is therefore likely that support programmes assisting people with mental illness to gain employment will need to assess whether structured psychological treatment is also needed [ 23 – 25 ]. Second, mental health staff may increasingly see the need to widen their remit from direct treatment provision to also intervening for local populations. Mental health awareness campaigns toward local programmes can be targeted to specific groups [ 26 – 28 ]. In the anti-stigma network of the World Psychiatric Association (called 'Open the Doors'), for example, such interventions have most often been applied to medical staff, journalists, school children, police, employers and church leaders [ 29 – 33 ].

Another key target group is healthcare professionals. Consumers surprisingly often relate that their experiences of general healthcare and mental healthcare staff reveal levels of ignorance, prejudice and discrimination that they find deeply distressing. This has been confirmed by studies in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, England, Malaysia, Spain and Turkey [ 34 – 42 ]. Based on the principle 'catch them young', several programmes have given anti-stigma interventions to medical students [ 39 , 43 – 46 ]. As is usual in the field of stigma and discrimination, there is more research describing stigma than assessing which interventions are effective. In Japan, one study found that the traditional medical curriculum led to mixed results: students became more accepting of mentally ill people and mental health services, and more optimistic about the outlook with treatment, but there was no impact on their views about how far people with mental illness should have their human rights fully observed [ 47 ]. Positive changes in all of these domains were achieved with a one-hour supplementary educational programme [ 48 ].

Interestingly, it seems that psychiatrists may not be in the best position to lead such educational programmes. Studies in Switzerland found no overall differences between the general public and psychiatrists in terms of social distance to mentally ill people [ 49 ]. Psychiatry itself tries to walk the narrow tightrope between the physical/pharmacological and psychological/social poles [ 50 ]. Clinicians who keep contact with people who are unwell, and who selectively stop seeing people who have recovered, may therefore develop a pessimistic view of the outlook for people with mental illnesses [ 51 ]. On balance, there is mixed evidence about whether psychiatrists can be seen as stigmatisers or destigmatisers [ 52 ]. Mental health nurses have also been found to have both more and less favourable views about people with mental illness than the general public [ 36 ]. Interestingly, nurses, like the general population, tend to be more favourable if they have a friend who is mentally ill, i.e. if there is a perceived similarity and equality with the person affected [ 53 ].

What, then, should mental health staff do? Direct involvement in the media is a vital route that professionals can use more often, with proper preparation and training. They also need to set their own house in order by promoting information within their training curricula, continuing professional development (continuing medical education) and relicensing/revalidation procedures which ensures that they have accurate information, for example, on recovery [ 54 ].

Further, practitioners need in future to pay greater attention to what consumers and family members say about their experiences of discrimination, for example in relation to work or housing. Staff can also work directly with consumers to combat social exclusion, for example by opposing repressive or regressive mental health laws [ 55 ]. Third, it is clear that consumer groups increasingly seek to change to the terms of engagement between mental health professionals and consumers, and to move from paternalism to negotiation [ 14 ]. Vehicles to support shared decision-making include: crisis plans [ 56 ] which seem able to reduce the frequency of compulsory treatment [ 57 ], advance directives [ 58 ], shared care agreements [ 59 ] and consumer-held records [ 60 ]. The key fact is that many consumers want direct participation in their own care plans [ 61 ].

Going into the public advocacy domain, staff in mental health systems may well develop in future a direct campaigning role. A practical approach is for local and national agencies to set aside their differences and to find common cause. In various areas, such co-ordinating groups are called forums, peak bodies, alliances or consortia. What they have in common is a recognition that what they can achieve together, in political terms, is greater that their individual impact. Core issues able to unite such coalitions are likely to include parity in funding, the use of disability discrimination laws for people with mental illness-related disabilities, and the recognition of international human rights conventions in practice [ 62 – 65 ]. The actions needed at a national level are summarised in Table 2 .

Action at the international level

What action is necessary at the international level? Such contributions, so far removed from the everyday lives of people, may be hardly noticeable unless they are very sharply focussed and coherent. Setting international standards for national polices could be one useful intervention. For example the World Health Organisation (WHO) has published standards to guide countries in producing and revising mental health laws [ 66 ]. The standards cover advice on:

access to care

confidentiality

assessments of competence and capacity

involuntary treatment

physical treatments

privacy of communications

appeals against detention

review procedures for compulsory detention [ 66 ]

At present, 25% of countries worldwide do not have mental health legislation and half of those that do enacted their laws over 15 years ago. Generally, lower income countries are more likely to have older legislation [ 67 ].

In the European Union, for example, anti discrimination laws are now mandatory under the Article 13 Directive [ 68 ]. Such laws must make illegal all discrimination in the workplace on grounds that include disability, and also set up institutions to enforce these laws. The time is therefore right is share experiences between different countries on how successful such laws have been to reduce discrimination against people with mental illness and to understand more clearly what is required both for new legislation elsewhere and for amendments to existing laws that fall short of their original intentions.

International organisations such as the WHO can also contribute towards better care and less discrimination by indicating the need for national mental health policies and by giving guidance on their content. In 2005, for example, only 62% of countries in the world had a mental health policy [ 67 ]. In Europe, health ministers have signed a Mental Health Declaration and Action Plan which sets the following priorities:

foster awareness of mental illness

tackle stigma, discrimination and inequality

provide comprehensive, integrated care systems

support a competent, effective workforce

recognise the experience and knowledge of services users and carers [ 65 , 69 , 70 ].

The strongest evidence at present for active ingredients to reduce stigma pertains to direct social contact with people with mental illness, which has been shown to be effective in relation to police officers, school students, journalists and the clergy [ 33 , 71 – 73 ]. At the national level, there is emerging evidence that a carefully co-ordinated approach based on using social marketing techniques, namely advertising and promotional methods designed to achieve a social good rather than sales of a commodity, have produced benefits in Australia, New Zealand and Scotland [ 16 , 17 , 74 ]. The challenge in the coming years will be to identify which interventions (whether directed towards knowledge, attitudes or behaviour) are most cost-effective in reducing the social exclusion of people with mental illness.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded in relation to an National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Programme grant awarded to the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (AK and EB), and in relation to the NIHR Specialist Mental Health Biomedical Research Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (GT).

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Thornicroft, G., Brohan, E., Kassam, A. et al. Reducing stigma and discrimination: Candidate interventions. Int J Ment Health Syst 2 , 3 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-4458-2-3

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Essay on Gender Discrimination

• Updated on  
• Jul 14, 2022

One of the challenges present in today’s society is gender discrimination. Gender discrimination is when someone is treated unequally based on their gender. Gender discrimination is not just present in the workplace but in schools, colleges and communities as well. As per the Civil Rights Act of 1964,  gender discrimination is illegal in India. This is also an important and common essay topic in schools and competitive exams such as IELTS , TOEFL , SAT , UPSC , etc. Let’s explore some samples of essay on gender discrimination and tips for writing an impactful essay.

Tips for Writing an Impactful Essay

If you want to write a scoring and deep impact essay, here are some tips for writing a perfect informative essay:

• The most important and first step is to write an introduction and background information about and related to the topic
• Then you are also required to use the formal style of writing and avoid using slang language
• To make an essay more impactful, write dates, quotations, and names to provide a better understanding
• You can use jargon wherever it is necessary as it sometimes makes an essay complicated
• To make an essay more creative, you can also add information in bulleted points wherever possible
• Always remember to add a conclusion where you need to summarise crucial points
• Once you are done read through the lines and check spelling and grammar mistakes before submission

Essay on Gender Discrimination in 200 Words

One of the important aspects of a democratic society is the elimination of gender discrimination. The root cause of this vigorous disease is the stereotypical society itself. When a child is born, the discrimination begins; if the child is male, he is given a car, bat and ball with blue, and red colour clothes, whereas when a child is female, she is given barbie dolls with pink clothes. We all are raised with a mentality that boys are good at sports and messy, but girls are not good at sports and are well organised. This discriminatory mentality has a deeper impact when girls are told not to work while boys are allowed to do much work. This categorising males and females into different categories discriminating based on gender are known as gender discrimination. Further, this discriminatory behaviour in society leads to hatred, injustice and much more. This gender discrimination is evident in every woman’s life at the workplace, in educational institutions, in sports, etc., where young girls and women are deprived of their rights and undervalued. This major issue prevailing in society can be solved only by providing equality to women and giving them all rights as given to men.

Essay on Gender Discrimination in 300 Words 

Gender Discrimination, as the term signifies, is discrimination or discriminatory behaviour based on gender. The stereotypical mindset of people in the past has led to the discrimination that women face today. According to Kahle Wolfe, in 2015, women earned 83% of the income paid to men by working the same hours. Almost all women are not only discriminated against based on their salaries but also on their looks.

Further, most women are allowed to follow a certain dress code depending upon the work field and the dress women wear also decides their future career.

This dominant male society teaches males that women are weak and innocent. Thus women are mostly victims and are targeted in crimes. For example, In a large portion of the globe, women are blamed for rapes despite being victims because of their clothes. This society also portrays women as weaker and not eligible enough to take a stand for themselves, leading to the major destruction of women’s personalities as men are taught to let women down. This mindset of people nowadays is a major social justice issue leading to gender discrimination in society.

Further, gender-based discrimination is evident across the globe in a plethora of things, including sports, education, health and law. Every 1 out of 3 women in the world is abused in various forms at some point in their lives by men. This social evil is present in most parts of the world; in India, women are burnt to death if they are incapable of affording financial requirements; in Egypt, women are killed by society if they are sensed doing something unclean in or out of their families, whereas in South Africa baby girls are abandoned or killed as they are considered as burden for the family. Thus gender discrimination can be only eliminated from society by educating people about giving equal rights and respect to every gender.

Top Universities for Gender Studies Abroad

UK, Canada and USA are the top three countries to study gender studies abroad. Here’s the list of top universities you can consider to study abroad for Indian students if you planning to pursue gender studies course abroad:

We hope this blog has helped you in structuring a terrific essay on gender discrimination. Planning to ace your IELTS, get expert tips from coaches at Leverage Live by Leverage Edu .

Sonal is a creative, enthusiastic writer and editor who has worked extensively for the Study Abroad domain. She splits her time between shooting fun insta reels and learning new tools for content marketing. If she is missing from her desk, you can find her with a group of people cracking silly jokes or petting neighbourhood dogs.

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