Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, based on criteria such as ethnicity, gender identity, or religious and sexual orientation. Our world has been dealing with bigotry for thousands of years now, and still, we are barely any closer to achieving the ideal of having a society in which everyone is treated equally. One of the biggest reasons for which bias is not already a crime of the past is the fact that prejudice is so deeply rooted in our history as humans, that in some situations people do not even realize that what they are doing is wrong.
This is known as “systemic discrimination”, and it is present in every country, to some extent. It shows in situations such as people crossing the street when they encounter a person of colour, judging a teen mother, or just staring at same-sex couples in “wonder”. They do not think of themselves as racist, or homophobic –and in most cases, they truly aren’t– they were just raised in a world that told them that black men are dangerous and that gay couples are not normal. Systemic discrimination is not a deliberate action- it is just something that has been here for so long, you no longer question it. This was also fuelled by bad representations in movies and books, stereotypes, and the teachings of the older generations that are opposed to change. No matter how much people want the world to change, solutions will only last for a short time if the prejudice ingrained in our society is not addressed.
Systemic discrimination can be found in any situation, but it is most common at workplaces, in organizations, and in companies that do not offer the same chances and opportunities to minorities. It is not defined in any international legislation, being every company’s responsibility to acknowledge and terminate bias.
Examples of this type of prejudice can be seen in Brazil, where before the constitution of 1985, racism was not a punishable offense, and race was considered a taboo subject to discuss. Since then, the situation did improve, but people of colour in Brazil still face discrimination that results in a lower quality of life. Hate crimes are a regular occurrence, the frequent acts of violence creating a wave of protests. In China, people from the LGBTQ+ community have no protection against discrimination and employment discrimination, making it difficult for them to have as many choices as the majority when searching for a job. Furthermore, although homosexuality and bisexuality were removed from the list of psychological disorders, many mental health professionals believe that they should be treated, Chinese hospitals still providing sexual orientation conversion efforts.
Systemic discrimination is so deeply tied to our history as humans, most of the time people do not even notice when they are acting biased. This issue was ignored for so long, it became even more severe over time, but recently we started being more aware of it, and changes are slowly being made. As minorities earn better representation, and countries work towards economic and social equality, people take to the streets, protesting the unfair treatment of minorities, and celebrating the differences that, in the end, make us all unique.
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