Stereotypes, power and discrimination

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The aim of this section is to introduce the basic concepts and terms regarding stereotypes and prejudice, and the types of discrimination based on them. After completing this section, you will:
• be able to define basic concepts such as stereotypes, prejudice, unconscious bias and power dynamics;
• recognise how ignoring and being inactive about unfair or unequal treatment of individuals leads to discrimination;
• identify examples of different types of discrimination;
• start exploring where your unconscious biases lie.

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Stereotypes, prejudice, power and discrimination

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The badge holder is familiar with concepts such as stereotypes, prejudice, unconscious bias and power dynamics, recognises how ignorance and inaction towards unfair or unequal treatment of individuals leads to discrimination, and identifies examples of different types of discrimination.

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Stereotypes
Every person is faced with a multitude of simple and complex tasks and challenges on a daily basis, giving them a huge number of options. If a person wanted to weigh all these options carefully, compare them with each other and make the best decision, they would be in a constant state of anxiety and worry about what to do. To ensure relative certainty, a person creates a framework within which they simplify complex phenomena and create a reality that makes decision-making easier.
Stereotypes simplify and systematise information and the world around us. As a result of this cognitive process, information is easier to identify, recall, predict their effects and react to them.
We face stereotypes of all kinds from birth – whether about gender, ethnicity, religion, ‘race’, age, disability or any other characteristics/circumstances.
Let’s look at some examples of stereotypes:
→ A dog is a loyal animal.
→ The Swiss are meticulous and the French cook well.
→ The Roma like to steal.
→ Foxes are cunning.
→ Men are strong and women are gentle.
→ All Black people dance well.
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Prejudice
Like stereotypes, prejudices are unverified, unjustified and unreasoned opinions about other groups and the people who are part of these groups. Unlike stereotypes, prejudice is accompanied by negative feelings and attitudes towards people solely because they belong to a particular group. They are also accompanied by feelings of inferiority of these people, which in turn lead to disrespectful, intolerant, demeaning and contemptuous attitudes. Like stereotypes, prejudice
is based on skin colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, culture, sexual orientation, age, disability, etc.
Let’s look at some examples of prejudices:
→ Blondes are stupid.
→ All Muslims support extremist ideas.
→ All politicians are corrupt and no one can be trusted.
→ Black women are angry all the time.
→ Gays are promiscuous and should be treated.
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For a more in-depth understanding of stereotypes and prejudice, see Stereotypes, power and discrimination. 
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Write down an additional example of a stereotype and an additional example of prejudice.

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You may have waved your hand dismissively when you read about stereotypes and realised that all of the above does not apply to you, that you do not have such simplistic and negative notions about others. But the fact is that we all suffer from a phenomenon called unconscious bias, which is not the result of our deliberate or conscious decisions. In other words, each one of us has unconscious beliefs about certain groups in society, linked to the aforementioned fact that we categorise the world in order to make everyday decisions easier. Unconscious bias starts to develop at a young age and influences our decision-making, even if we are not aware of it.
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For a more in-depth understanding of unconscious bias, see Stereotypes, power and discrimination. 
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Imagine the following situations and consider whether they are real or imaginary.
1. Tim and his colleague Ana changed their email signatures. He communicated with customers in the same way as always, but signed as Jana. It turned out that all of a sudden all the clients started to doubt his ability, they were disdainful towards him, someone even asked him if he was single. Jana, who had previously been accused of being slow, had never been so productive in her work. Tim realised why Ana was slower at her job than he was: she was constantly faced with having to convince her clients that she was doing a good job, that her suggestions were valid, and that she was professional. As a result, she was less efficient. As he was now, just by virtue of signing with the ‘wrong’, female name. Regardless of the fact that the way he worked had not changed in any way. Nor did Jana’s, except that everyone was now convinced she was a man.
2. Economists at the University of California, Berkeley, conducted an experiment. They sent tens of thousands of job applications to hundreds of employers, half of them signed with typical white names, like Emily or Greg, and half with typical Black names, like Jamal or Lakisha. Fictitious Black applicants were called for interview 10% less often, even though their job applications were comparable to those of fictitious white applicants.
3. Six people were killed and nearly 20 injured at a mosque in Canada. Initial reports on the incident indicated that police had detained two people, one Canadian-born white male and one Moroccan-born male. Some media outlets sent out a press release that the suspect was a Moroccan man. In reality, the shooter was a white French- Canadian, whereas the Moroccan-Canadian man called the police when he heard the gunshots. When the police arrived at the scene of the shooting, they detained him.

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Discrimination
Discrimination is any unjustified unequal treatment, whether actual or by law, based on a person’s personal characteristics/circumstances, without objective reason. These characteristics/circumstances, whether gender, sexual orientation, skin colour, ethnic origin, migrant status, etc., and the stereotypes and prejudices associated with them, result in less favourable treatment which undermines, restricts or excludes the enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, other rights, legal interests and benefits.
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For a more in-depth understanding of discrimination, see Stereotypes, power and discrimination. 
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Imagine the following situations and consider if there is suspected discrimination in the following cases.
1. At a job interview at a computer programming company, the head of the department asks the candidate if she plans to have children in the near future.
2. A restaurant owner refuses to serve a person because they are wearing a religious head covering.
3. The local sports club publishes the training schedule. The number of hours for women’s training has been reduced, as women do not train as seriously as men.
4. A youth worker organises workshops on financial literacy specifically for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
5. A youth worker at a workshop on job-searching techniques advises young people from minority ethnic groups not to mention their ethnicity on their CV.

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Take the Stereotypes and Discrimination Quiz at the external link.
As proof, write in your answer that you have completed the quiz.

Vaardigheden

#Encouraging young people to reflect and exchange ideas regarding issues such as solidarity, social justice, promoting/protecting human rights, discrimination, dignity and equality

ETS-TR

#Avoids using methods which implicitly reinforce stereotypes and discrimination

#Applying non-formal learning principles in programme design with emphasis on youth-centeredness, transparency, democratic values, participation, empowerment, and social transformation

ESCO

#advocate equality of opportunity in organisations

ESCO

#advocate for human rights

ESCO

#advocate social relationships

ESCO

#arrange youth activities

ETS-TR

#Adopts appropriate behaviour that respects ethical boundaries within a given group of learners

ESCO

#develop youth programmes

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Online training on intersectional discrimination in youth work

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