Institutional discrimination is the Select one:
a. denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals or groups that results from the normal operations of society.
b. belief that individuals or groups should be denied equal rights and opportunities.
c. stereotyping of people who work in public or private institutions.
d. establishment of laws that intentionally deny opportunities and equal rights to members of minority groups.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is:
a. denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals or groups that results from the normal operations of society.
Explanation:
Institutional discrimination refers to the systematic and structural policies, practices, and norms within organizations, institutions, or society as a whole that result in unfair treatment of certain individuals or groups. Unlike overt discrimination that might be intentional or explicit, institutional discrimination often occurs unintentionally through established procedures, rules, or customs that create or maintain inequality.
This form of discrimination happens when the normal functioning of social institutions—such as schools, workplaces, legal systems, or government agencies—produces outcomes that favor some groups over others. The result is that certain groups, often minorities or marginalized populations, face barriers to accessing opportunities, resources, or rights.
For example, if a company’s hiring process heavily relies on referrals from current employees who predominantly belong to one racial or social group, this can lead to institutional discrimination by limiting diversity. Similarly, standardized tests in education may disadvantage students from certain socioeconomic backgrounds due to unequal access to quality schooling or preparation resources.
Institutional discrimination differs from individual prejudice or belief because it is embedded in the policies and practices of institutions and often operates without the conscious intention to discriminate. It creates a system where inequalities persist over time, even if individuals within the institution do not hold biased views.
Options b, c, and d describe other concepts related to discrimination:
- Option b describes prejudice, which is a belief or attitude rather than systemic denial.
- Option c refers to stereotyping individuals within institutions, which is not the definition of institutional discrimination.
- Option d refers to explicit or intentional legal discrimination, such as laws designed to deny rights, which is a more overt form and not the general institutional discrimination described in option a.
Institutional discrimination is a critical concept for understanding how social inequalities continue even in the absence of overt hostility or explicit rules targeting certain groups.