INTRODUCTION

Discrimination is the cognitive and sensory capacity or ability to see fine distinctions and perceive differences between objects, subjects, concepts and patterns, or possess exceptional development of the senses. Used in this way to identify exceptional discernment since the 17th century, the term begun to be used as an expression of derogatory racial prejudice from the 1830s Thomas D. Rice's performances as "Jim Crow". Since the American Civil War the term 'discrimination' generally evolved in American English usage as an understanding of prejudicial treatment of an individual based solely on their race, later generalized as membership in a certain socially undesirable group or social category.[1] Discernment has remained in British English as a term denoting elite status in perception and insight, often attributed to success in the investment finance, or anyone with admirable choice in style, often high society leaders. Discriminatory laws such as redlining have existed in many countries. In some countries, controversial attempts such as racial quotas have been used to redress negative effects of discrimination. Definitions Within sociology, 'discrimination' is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based solely on their membership in a certain group or category. Discrimination is the actual behavior towards members of another group. It involves excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to other groups.[2] The United Nations stance on discrimination includes a statement that: "Discriminatory behaviors take many forms, but they all involve some form of exclusion or rejection."[3] Racial discrimination

Racial discrimination differentiates between individuals on the basis of real and perceived racial differences, and has been official government policy in several countries, such as South Africa in the apartheid era, and the USA. An African-American child at a segregated drinking fountain on a courthouse lawn, North Carolina, 1938. In the United States, racial profiling of minorities by law enforcement officials has been called racial discrimination.[4] As early as 1865, the Civil Rights Act provided a remedy for intentional race discrimination in employment by private employers and state and local public employers. The Civil Rights Act of 1871 applies to public employment or employment involving state action prohibiting deprivation of rights secured by the federal constitution or federal laws through action under color of law. Title VII is the principal federal statute with regard to employment discrimination prohibiting unlawful employment discrimination by public and private employers, labor organizations, training programs and employment agencies based on race or color, religion, gender, and national origin. Title VII also prohibits retaliation against any person for opposing any practice forbidden by statute, or for making a charge, testifying, assisting, or participating in a proceeding under the statute. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 expanded the damages available in Title VII cases and granted Title VII plaintiffs the right to a jury trial. Title VII also provides that race and color discrimination against every race and color is prohibited. A racist sign on a beach (1989) Within the criminal justice system in some Western countries, minorities are convicted and imprisoned disproportionately when compared with whites.[5] [6] In 1998, nearly one out of three black men between the ages of 20-29 were in prison or jail, on probation or parole on any given day in the United States.[7] First Nations make up about 2% of Canada's population, but account for 18% of the federal prison population as of 2000.[8] According to the Australian government's June 2006 publication of prison statistics, indigenous peoples make up 24% of the overall prison population in Australia.[9]

In 2004, Mori made up just 15% of the total population of New Zealand but 49.5% of prisoners. Mori were entering prison at 8 times the rate of nonMori.[10] A quarter of the people in England's prisons are from an ethnic minority. The Equality and Human Rights Commission found that five times more black people than white people per head of population in England and Wales are imprisoned. Experts and politicians said over-representation of black men was a result of decades of racial prejudice in the criminal justice system.[11] Age discrimination is discrimination on the grounds of age. Although theoretically the word can refer to the discrimination against any age group, age discrimination usually comes in one of three forms: discrimination against youth (also called adultism), discrimination against those 40 years old or older,[12] and discrimination against elderly people. In the United States, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits employment discrimination nationwide based on age with respect to employees 40 years of age or older. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act also addresses the difficulty older workers face in obtaining new employment after being displaced from their jobs, arbitrary age limits. On the other hand, the UK Equality Act 2010 protects young employees as well as old. Other countries go even further and make age discrimination a criminal offence.[13] In many countries, companies more or less openly refuse to hire people above or below a certain age despite the increasing lifespans and average age of the population. The reasons for this range from vague feelings younger people are more "dynamic" and create a positive image for the company and that employees below the age of majority lack experience to actually do the job, to more concrete concerns about regulations granting older employees higher salaries or other benefits without these expenses being fully justified by an older employees' greater experience. Unions cite age as the most common form of discrimination in the workplace.[14] Workers ages 45 and over form a disproportionate share of the long-term unemployed those who have been out of work for six months or longer, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.[15] Some people[who?] consider that teenagers, youth and children are victims of adultism, age discrimination framed as a paternalistic form of protection. In

seeking social justice, they feel that it is necessary to remove the use of a false moral agenda in order to achieve agency and empowerment.[citation needed] This perspective is based on the grounds that youth should be treated more respectfully by adults and not as second-class citizens. Some suggest that social stratification in age groups causes outsiders to incorrectly stereotype and generalize the group, for instance that all adolescents are equally immature, violent or rebellious, listen to rock tunes, and do drugs. Some have organized groups against age discrimination.[citation needed]

Sex Discrimination Ordinance (1996)

United Kingdom Equal Pay Act 1970 provides for equal pay for comparable work

Sex Discrimination Act 1975 makes discrimination against women or men, including discrimination on the grounds of marital status, illegal in the workplace. Human Rights Act 1998 provides more scope for redressing all

Caste discrimination According to UNICEF and Human Rights Watch, caste discrimination affects an estimated 250 million people worldwide.[26][27][28] Discrimination based on caste, as perceived by UNICEF, is prevalent mainly in parts of Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Japan) and Africa[26] Currently, there are an estimated 160 million Dalits or Scheduled Castes (formerly known as "untouchables") in India.[29] Dalit people face severe problems, such as segregation and violence against them[30] An estimated 40 million people in India, most of them Dalits, are bonded workers, many working to pay off debts that were incurred generations ago.[31] There have been substantial improvements in the position of Dalits in postindependence India, consequent to the strict implementation of the rights and privileges enshrined in the Constitution of India, as implemented by the Protection of Civil rights Act, 1955.[32] India has had a Dalit president, K.R. Narayanan, and the practise had disappeared in urban public life, though

persist very strongly in rural areas, where modern ideas have not penetrated, and ancient ethnic divisions and hostilities against Dalits often dominate the discourse of inter-community relations, resulting in underrepresented Dalits facing discrimination and violence.[33] In modern times, Dalits, as well as tribal people and members of the lowest castes in India benefit from broad affirmative action programmes and are enjoying greater political power."[34] The Constitution of India places special emphasis on outlawing caste discrimination, especially the practice of untouchability.[35] In addition, the Indian penal code inflicts severe punishments on those who discriminate on the basis of caste. Anti-Dalit prejudice and discrimination exists primarily in rural areas, where small societies can track the caste lineage of individuals and discriminate accordingly. Employment discrimination Employment discrimination refers to disabling certain people to apply and receive jobs based on their race, age, gender, religion, height, weight, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. In relationship to sociology, employment discrimination usually relates to what events are happening in society at the time. For example, it would seem ludicrous to hire an African American male and absolutely unheard of to hire an African American woman over 50 years ago. However, in our society today, it is the absolute norm to hire any qualified person. Employment discrimination has decreased tremendously from previous years. This is due to laws that prohibit employment discrimination. In our society today, everyone is ordered to treat all different types of people equally and grant them the same opportunities. If a person hiring another breaks these rules, they can be sued for hate crimes. The American federal laws that protect against:

Race, color and national origin discrimination include the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order Number 11478 among other numerous laws that protect people from race, color and national origin discrimination. Sex and gender discrimination include the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Equal Pay Act of 1963.

age Discrimination include the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. Physical and mental disability discrimination include the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 Religious discrimination include the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Religious Discrimination Religious discrimination involves treating a person (an applicant or employee) unfavorably because of his or her religious beliefs. The law protects not only people who belong to traditional, organized religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, but also others who have sincerely held religious, ethical or moral beliefs. Religious discrimination can also involve treating someone differently because that person is married to (or associated with) an individual of a particular religion or because of his or her connection with a religious organization or group. Religious Discrimination & Work Situations The law forbids discrimination when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits, and any other term or condition of employment. Religious Discrimination & Harassment It is illegal to harass a person because of his or her religion. Harassment can include, for example, offensive remarks about a persons religious beliefs or practices. Although the law doesnt prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that arent very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted). The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer. Religious Discrimination & Reasonable Accommodation

The law requires an employer or other covered entity to reasonably accommodate an employees religious beliefs or practices, unless doing so would cause more than a minimal burden on the operations of the employer's business. This means an employer may be required to make reasonable adjustments to the work environment that will allow an employee to practice his or her religion. Examples of some common religious accommodations include flexible scheduling, voluntary shift substitutions or swaps, job reassignments, and modifications to workplace policies or practices. Religious Accommodation/Dress & Grooming Policies Unless it would be an undue hardship on the employer's operation of its business, an employer must reasonably accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices. This applies not only to schedule changes or leave for religious observances, but also to such things as dress or grooming practices that an employee has for religious reasons. These might include, for example, wearing particular head coverings or other religious dress (such as a Jewish yarmulke or a Muslim headscarf), or wearing certain hairstyles or facial hair (such as Rastafarian dreadlocks or Sikh uncut hair and beard). It also includes an employee's observance of a religious prohibition against wearing certain garments (such as pants or miniskirts). When an employee or applicant needs a dress or grooming accommodation for religious reasons, he should notify the employer that he needs such an accommodation for religious reasons. If the employer reasonably needs more information, the employer and the employee should engage in an interactive process to discuss the request. If it would not pose an undue hardship, the employer must grant the accommodation. Religious Discrimination & Reasonable Accommodation & Undue Hardship An employer does not have to accommodate an employees religious beliefs or practices if doing so would cause undue hardship to the employer. An accommodation may cause undue hardship if it is costly, compromises workplace safety, decreases workplace efficiency, infringes on the rights of other employees, or requires other employees to do more than their share of potentially hazardous or burdensome work.

Religious Discrimination And Employment Policies/Practices An employee cannot be forced to participate (or not participate) in a religious activity as a condition of employment.