Types of Negative Attitude that can lead to Discrimination

Discrimination is action that is often based on a person’s negative attitude towards others. The following can lead to discrimination:

Labelling – This is to give a group of people a name because of characteristics, for example ‘Goth’

Stereotyping – To have an opinion about a group and applying this to anyone belonging to this group, for example ‘no woman can park a car’.

Prejudice – Means to make a judgement about someone or a group of people without basing it on fact.

Discrimination involves treating people differently because of assumptions made about a person or group of people based on their differences. Negative attitudes and behaviours exist in society that can lead to individuals or groups being oppressed or disadvantaged.

Types of discrimination

Direct discrimination – When someone is treated less favourably than another because of one or more of their protected characteristics in a direct way. For example, banning wheelchair users’ access to a public place or preventing a particular ethnic group from using a service are direct discrimination.

Indirect discrimination – When a condition, rule, policy or practice is put in place which has a worse impact on someone with at least one protected characteristic than those without the characteristic(s). For example, a care home insisting all care workers have to wear skirts discriminates against Moslem women, many Asian women, most men and some transgender people.

See overleaf for examples of how direct /indirect and deliberate or unintentional discrimination can occur in the workplace.

Use to answer question 4.1b of the Care Certificate