OPPRESSION = POWER + PREJUDICE
Members of both the oppressor and target group are socialized to play their roles and view those roles as normal and correct. These are due to deep-rooted beliefs. People are fed stereotypes and prejudices about certain groups of people without factual evidence. Due to Social media, this all is slowly changing and the oppressed groups have a platform to share their voice. Oppression can be cultural, personal, or institutional.
Sexism
Sexism is any expression (act, word, image, gesture) based on the idea that some persons, most often women, are inferior and less valuable because of their sex. It lies at the root of gender inequality and affects women and girls disproportionately.
It is linked to beliefs around the fundamental nature of women and men and the roles they should play in society. Sexist assumptions are made due to gender stereotypes, ranking one gender as superior to another.
Underrepresentation in decision-making roles, being left out of certain sectors of the economy, women being primarily responsible for unpaid care work, being paid less than men and getting constantly asked about marriage and having babies as if a women’s worth lies only in her marital status and child-bearing capabilities are effects of sexist behaviors and attitudes.
Racism
Racism is the belief that certain groups of people possess different behavioral traits based on their physical appearance. This belief magnifies prejudice, discrimination, and antagonism and makes certain races superior to others
Some common types of racism are systemic racism, casual racism, and direct racism.
The term racism is used for events like police brutality against black people specifically and spreading misinformation or negativity about a particular ethnic group.
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is the fear of strangers, foreigners, or immigrants. Xenophobic people often engage in discrimination toward anyone different from them.
People who are xenophobic typically believe that their culture or nation is superior, want to keep immigrants out of their community, and may even engage in actions that are detrimental to those who are perceived as outsiders.
Xenophobia is used when someone refuses to be friends with people solely due to their skin color, mode of dress, or other external factors or when someone has difficulty taking a supervisor seriously or connecting with a teammate who does not fall into the same racial, cultural, or religious group.
Ableism (includes mental disability)
Ableism is the discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. Ableism is believing that people with disabilities require ‘fixing’ and their disability defines them. Like racism and sexism, ableism classifies certain groups as less than and includes harmful stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalizations of people with disabilities.
Some sign of ableism is: segregating students with disabilities into separate schools, buildings without braille on signs and elevator buttons, the assumption that people with disabilities want or need to be ‘fixed’, using disability as a punchline, or mocking people with disabilities.
Ageism
Ageism is a type of discrimination that involves prejudice against people based on their age and involves holding negative stereotypes about people of different ages. It also involves the denial of basic human rights due to age.
An example of subtle ageism would be joking about an older employee’s retirement plans or slower typing speed. Another would be younger people assuming that older individuals have "had their turn," and should make way for the younger generations.
Dismissal of a young professional due to their age or keeping a job requirement that is almost impossible for young workers to meet is ageism.
Heterosexism
This is the assumption that all people are heterosexual due to which bias and discrimination are practiced against the LGBTQ community.
It contributes to the denial, denigration, and stigmatization of any nonheterosexual form of behavior, identity, relationship, or community.
Denying equal employment benefits to people with same-sex partners (i.e. spousal insurance), assuming that everyone is heterosexual or that everyone is interested in an opposite-sex partner are examples of heterosexism.
Sizeism
Sizeism is discriminating against people because of their size and because of their weight. Overweight people especially are pre-judged and aren’t given a fair opportunity for a lot of things. Examples of sizeist discrimination might include a person being fired from a job for being overweight or exceptionally short though their work was unaffected.
Writer -Dyumna Madan
Editor - Palak Yadav
Illustrator- Jhem Picache
Graphics - Hafsa Ocomen
SOURCES
Definitions: Sexual Prejudice, Homophobia, and Heterosexism
psychology.ucdavis.edu › rainbow › html › prej_defn
Understanding Heterosexism
www.wcupa.edu › transAndQueer › documents › heter...
Supporting the Old but Neglecting the Young? The Two Faces ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › PMC › articles › PMC7144460
Aging: Ageism - World Health Organization
Www. who. int › Home › News › Q&A Detail
Ableism 101 - What is Ableism? What Does it Look Like?
www.accessliving.org › newsroom › blog › ableism-101
Sexism: See it. Name it. Stop it. - Conseil de l'Europe
www.coe.int › web › human-rights-channel › stop-sexism
5 Examples Of Everyday Sexism And How To Respond To Them
futurewomen.com › hotlists › 5-examples-everyday-sex...
What is Racism? | ADL
www.adl.org › racism
Xenophobia: Definition, Symptoms, Traits, Causes, Treatment
www.verywellmind.com › Phobias › Types
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