discrimination

Sexism 

Racism 

Ageism 

Religion 

ablism 

classism 

Homophobia 

G - gender  A - age R - race R - religion D - disability S - social class S – sexual orientation 

Types of discriminatory practice 

Abuse 

Direct discrimination 

Indirect discrimination 

Prejudice 

Stereotyping 

Labelling 

Bullying 

Abuse- refers to negative and harmful ways of behaving towards another person or group of people 

Physical 

Emotional 

Sexual 

Neglect 

Financial 

Verbal 

Bullying 

Social exclusion 

Direct discrimination- under the Equality Act 2010, direct discrimination occurs when an organisation or employer treats someone less favourably because of their: 

Age 

Disability 

Gender reassignment 

Sexual orientation 

Marital or civil partnership  

Pregnancy or maternity 

Race 

Religious belief 

Sex 

These attributes are known as protected characteristics 

You do not need to have a protected characteristic to be discriminated against 

Can occur if someone treats you unfairly because they think you have a protected characteristic – discrimination by perception 

Or if you treat someone less favourably because a colleague, associate, family member or friend has a characteristic (discrimination by association) 

Indirect discrimination - Occurs where a policy of an employer or organisation applies to everybody but results in people with certain protected characteristics (e.g. race, religion, disability) being put at a disadvantage 

A dental surgery requires that individuals have a proof of address before they can register – indirect 

A care home tells the family of a Hindu man that he would not fit in there, so it is best they look somewhere else for him – direct 

A nursery refuses to provide kosher food for a Jewish child because it would be too difficult to get hold of the food in the local area – direct 

A youth club will not allow girls in the football club – direct 

Prejudice - negative attitudes or dislike of an individuals or group, often based on ill-informed opinion, one of the bases for discrimination 

Stereotyping – generalisations, which are often offensive and exaggerated, are made about a particular group of people, such as old people, homeless or those with disabilities 

Labelling – negative approach that identifies people as members of a particular group with the assumption that they ‘are all the same’ 

Bullying – threatening, intimidating, humiliating, or frightening others 

Repeated behaviour intended to hurt others physically or psychologically 

More likely to occur when someone is in a position of power, such as a manager or when an individual is dependent on a care worker 

How fair is Britain? 

The Equality and Human Rights Commission authored the report in 2010 

Make sure people know their rights 

The report talks about things that are going well, things that are unfair, and their ideas to make things better 

Who can be affected by discriminatory care? 

Individuals who require care and support 

Family, friends, and relatives of individuals who use care services 

Practitioners e.g. nurses, GPs, care assistants, dentists 

The effects of discrimination 

Being treated less favourably or unfairly can have an impact on the health and wellbeing of the individual 

Both the service user and care worker/professional can be affected by discrimination 

The effects of discrimination can be far reaching on every area of life such as, 

Disempowerment – individuals may feel they have no control or power over their own lives 

Low self-esteem and low self-confidence – people who experience discrimination often feel bad about themselves and lack confidence to challenge the discrimination 

Poor health and wellbeing – all areas of a person’s health can be affected by discrimination 

Unfair treatment – individuals may receive worse treatment and may struggle to manage their daily tasks or achieve their potential because they are not receiving the support they need 

Effects on mental health – depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, aggression, un-cooperative, withdrawn, or isolated 

Physically, a person’s health my deteriorate 

Intellectually, it could impact concentration 

Emotionally, impact on self-esteem 

Socially, withdrawn from those around them