Causes of Prejudice and Discrimination
- Learning for Life and Work
- Mar 25
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 26
Prejudice is when we pre-judge people based on what we have heard and is not always based on fact. Prejudice is the thought.
Discrimination is to act on the prejudice and to treat people unfairly because of the group that they belong to. Discrimination is the action.
Causes of prejudice and discrimination are because of the following reasons:
1. Ignorance - often people's knowledge and understanding of another group of people is based on stereotypical ideas and beliefs. They usually do not know enough about the person or group of people and so feel threatened. There is a lack of understanding and ignorance about a culture or cultural practices and this can lead to conflict.
2. Experience - a young person may have had a ‘bad’ experience of others who identify with a certain group of people. The young person may develop negative, stereotypical views about everyone of this religion or race or group of people and hence become prejudiced.
3. The media - sometimes the media can present a negative image of people with different cultures or religion or race and this can influence people's perception of that group.
4. Friends/peers - friends may hold negative, stereotypical views about other cultures and identities which could cause a young person to accept these views as a way of trying to remain as part of a friendship group.
5. Family members - Parents and other family members may hold strong, negative views about people of different cultures and identities. A young person may accept these views and may begin to develop the same attitudes and beliefs.
QUESTIONS YOU COULD BE ASKED ON THIS
Write down two reasons why someone may be prejudiced against a young person from a different culture (2marks)
Ignorance
The media
Write down what it means to be prejudiced (1mark)
It means making unfair judgments about people without knowing them.
Explain one cause of prejudice in society (2marks)
Prejudice in society can be caused by a lack of knowledge and understanding about different groups. This can lead to stereotyping and unfair judgments, as people make assumptions based on misinformation rather than facts.
Explain one reason why local citizens may be prejudiced against immigrants (2marks)
Local citizens may be prejudiced against immigrants due to a lack of knowledge and understanding about different cultures. They may see immigrants as different or as a threat to their way of life, leading to feelings of fear and prejudice.
Explain one example of discrimination (2marks)
Race discrimination is when someone is being treated unfairly because of their skin colour.
Explain what stereotyping means (2marks)
Stereotyping means making general assumptions about a person based on the group they belong to, assuming they share the same characteristics as everyone in that group.
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