TH07 Stereotyping and Prejudice

When you think of diversity in the workplace you typically think of race and gender, but
in reality workplace diversity is much broader. Consider your co-workers, they differ in a
variety of ways such as age, marital status and family responsibilities. All of these
differences can lead to stereotyping which may result in workplace tension.

Is stereotyping harmful in the workplace? Quite simply, the answer is “Yes.”

Stereotyping, or in other words placing labels on people, results from making general
assumptions about an individual with little or no personal knowledge about them. For
example, we’ve all heard the spacey blond jokes which is a play on the assumption that
all blonds are dumb — but of course, we know that isn’t true.

Unfortunately, in the workplace it’s no laughing matter. What happens when you make
these assumptions is you subconsciously start to look for things to confirm your
beliefs ... and overtime you might pick up on one or two isolated incidents that cause
you justify or confirm your assumptions. So you close your mind about the individual
which damages your ability to really work well with that person.

Below are some of the common stereotypes which can impact the workplace.

* Single vs. Married: Single people feel as though they are seen in one of two ways.
First, they are often thought to be frivolous and more interested in their social life than
they are their work. Plus, many say they feel stigmatized by their single status as being
damaged goods because they aren’t married. Secondly, some say their married co-
workers think they should be able to work longer hours because they don’t have any
outside responsibilities. However, on the flip side singles often say they can focus more
on their work because they are single and can use it to their advantage to get ahead.
While others view their married counterparts as having an advantage because they
have a partner to help with outside responsibilities.

* Children vs. No Children. While this typically impacts women more than men, it isn’t
just a female issue. But a lot of women say they are made to feel guilty at work
because of how they have juggle their work and childcare responsibilities while at the
same time they are made to feel guilty because they are working and not at home with
their children. Employees who don’t have children sometimes feel resentful when they
have to cover for co-workers who frequently are absent because of child-related
emergencies. Today, about two-thirds of working women have young children at home
so many employers are finding ways to manage this fairly.

* Baby Boomer vs. Generation Y: As the population ages, more and more people are
choosing to work much longer in their careers. The Baby Boomer generation hasn’t
grown up with technology as the Generation Y workers. So there is a tension between
the tried and true ways of doing business versus the technological solutions of today.
This generational gap can create serious friction in the work place. But instead of
immediately stereotyping the individual, you should get to know the other person and
appreciate each others strengths. Learn from each other.

* Women — Married and Marginalized. Although over half the working population
consists of women, there is a prevalent view that women are working to provide a
secondary household income. That is often part of the explanation for the pay gap that
exists between men and women. However, many women today are the primary
breadwinners in their families and often the sole provider. Making assumptions can limit
someone’s career opportunities.

* Domestic Lifestyle Choice: The term “family” today is taking on new meaning. There
are people choosing to live together as domestic partners of the same or different
genders. Yet in the work environment these non-traditional family settings don’t get the
same respect as traditional domestic lifestyle choices. As a result, an employee who
lives with a domestic partner is often not given the same consideration when that
partner becomes ill or has an emergency as someone in a traditional marriage.

The bottom line is everyone should keep an open mind and get to know your co-
workers as individuals. Avoid making assumptions and stereotyping. None of us is the
same and no one fits into a specific category. Respect diversity of all types in your work
environment.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

 Explain the difference between stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and racism
 Identify different types of discrimination
 View racial tension through a sociological lens

The terms stereotype, prejudice, discrimination, and racism are often used
interchangeably in everyday conversation. Let us explore the differences between these
concepts. Stereotypes are oversimplified generalizations about groups of people.
Stereotypes can be based on race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation—almost
any characteristic. They may be positive (usually about one’s own group, such as when
women suggest they are less likely to complain about physical pain) but are often
negative (usually toward other groups, such as when members of a dominant racial
group suggest that a subordinate racial group is stupid or lazy). In either case, the
stereotype is a generalization that doesn’t take individual differences into account.
Where do stereotypes come from? In fact new stereotypes are rarely created; rather,
they are recycled from subordinate groups that have assimilated into society and are
reused to describe newly subordinate groups. For example, many stereotypes that are
currently used to characterize black people were used earlier in American history to
characterize Irish and Eastern European immigrants.

Prejudice and Racism

Prejudice refers to the beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes someone holds about a
group. A prejudice is not based on experience; instead, it is a prejudgment, originating
outside actual experience. A 1970 documentary called Eye of the Storm illustrates the
way in which prejudice develops, by showing how defining one category of people as
superior (children with blue eyes) results in prejudice against people who are not part of
the favored category.

While prejudice is not necessarily specific to race, racism is a stronger type of prejudice
used to justify the belief that one racial category is somehow superior or inferior to
others; it is also a set of practices used by a racial majority to disadvantage a racial
minority. The Ku Klux Klan is an example of a racist organization; its members’ belief in
white supremacy has encouraged over a century of hate crime and hate speech.

Institutional racism refers to the way in which racism is embedded in the fabric of
society. For example, the disproportionate number of black men arrested, charged, and
convicted of crimes may reflect racial profiling, a form of institutional racism.

Colorism is another kind of prejudice, in which someone believes one type of skin tone
is superior or inferior to another within a racial group. Studies suggest that darker
skinned African Americans experience more discrimination than lighter skinned African
Americans (Herring, Keith, and Horton 2004; Klonoff and Landrine 2000). For example,
if a white employer believes a black employee with a darker skin tone is less capable
than a black employer with lighter skin tone, that is colorism. At least one study
suggested the colorism affected racial socialization, with darker-skinned black male
adolescents receiving more warnings about the danger of interacting with members of
other racial groups than did lighter-skinned black male adolescents (Landor et al. 2013).

Discrimination

While prejudice refers to biased thinking, discrimination consists of actions against a

group of people. Discrimination can be based on age, religion, health, and other
indicators; race-based laws against discrimination strive to address this set of social
problems.

Discrimination based on race or ethnicity can take many forms, from unfair housing
practices to biased hiring systems. Overt discrimination has long been part of U.S.
history. In the late nineteenth century, it was not uncommon for business owners to
hang signs that read, “Help Wanted: No Irish Need Apply.” And southern Jim Crow
laws, with their “Whites Only” signs, exemplified overt discrimination that is not tolerated
today.

However, we cannot erase discrimination from our culture just by enacting laws to
abolish it. Even if a magic pill managed to eradicate racism from each individual’s
psyche, society itself would maintain it. Sociologist Émile Durkheim calls racism a social
fact, meaning that it does not require the action of individuals to continue. The reasons
for this are complex and relate to the educational, criminal, economic, and political
systems that exist in our society.

For example, when a newspaper identifies by race individuals accused of a crime, it

may enhance stereotypes of a certain minority. Another example of racist practices is
racial steering, in which real estate agents direct prospective homeowners toward or
away from certain neighborhoods based on their race. Racist attitudes and beliefs are
often more insidious and harder to pin down than specific racist practices.

Prejudice and discrimination can overlap and intersect in many ways. To illustrate, here
are four examples of how prejudice and discrimination can occur. Unprejudiced
nondiscriminators are open-minded, tolerant, and accepting individuals. Unprejudiced
discriminators might be those who unthinkingly practice sexism in their workplace by not
considering females for certain positions that have traditionally been held by men.
Prejudiced nondiscriminators are those who hold racist beliefs but don’t act on them,
such as a racist store owner who serves minority customers. Prejudiced discriminators
include those who actively make disparaging remarks about others or who perpetuate
hate crimes.

Discrimination also manifests in different ways. The scenarios above are examples of
individual discrimination, but other types exist. Institutional discrimination occurs when a
societal system has developed with embedded disenfranchisement of a group, such as
the U.S. military’s historical nonacceptance of minority sexualities (the “don’t ask, don’t
tell” policy reflected this norm).

Institutional discrimination can also include the promotion of a group’s status, such in
the case of white privilege, which is the benefits people receive simply by being part of
the dominant group.

While most white people are willing to admit that nonwhite people live with a set of
disadvantages due to the color of their skin, very few are willing to acknowledge the
benefits they receive.

Racial Tensions in the United States

The death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO on August 9, 2014 illustrates racial

tensions in the United States as well as the overlap between prejudice, discrimination,
and institutional racism. On that day, Brown, a young unarmed black man, was killed by
a white police officer named Darren Wilson. During the incident, Wilson directed Brown
and his friend to walk on the sidewalk instead of in the street. While eyewitness
accounts vary, they agree that an altercation occurred between Wilson and Brown.
Wilson’s version has him shooting Brown in self-defense after Brown assaulted him,
while Dorian Johnson, a friend of Brown also present at the time, claimed that Brown
first ran away, then turned with his hands in the air to surrender, after which Johnson
shot him repeatedly (Nobles and Bosman 2014). Three autopsies independently
confirmed that Brown was shot six times (Lowery and Fears 2014).

The shooting focused attention on a number of race-related tensions in the United

States. First, members of the predominantly black community viewed Brown’s death as
the result of a white police officer racially profiling a black man (Nobles and Bosman
2014). In the days after, it was revealed that only three members of the town’s fifty-
three-member police force were black (Nobles and Bosman 2014). The national
dialogue shifted during the next few weeks, with some commentators pointing to a
nationwide sedimentation of racial inequality and identifying redlining in Ferguson as a
cause of the unbalanced racial composition in the community, in local political
establishments, and in the police force (Bouie 2014). Redlining is the practice of
routinely refusing mortgages for households and businesses located in predominately
minority communities, while sedimentation of racial inequality describes the
intergenerational impact of both practical and legalized racism that limits the abilities of
black people to accumulate wealth.

Ferguson’s racial imbalance may explain in part why, even though in 2010 only about
63 percent of its population was black, in 2013 blacks were detained in 86 percent of
stops, 92 percent of searches, and 93 percent of arrests (Missouri Attorney General’s
Office 2014). In addition, de facto segregation in Ferguson’s schools, a race-based
wealth gap, urban sprawl, and a black unemployment rate three times that of the white
unemployment rate worsened existing racial tensions in Ferguson while also reflecting
nationwide racial inequalities (Bouie 2014).

Multiple Identities

A photo of golfer Tiger Woods holding his golf club up in the air on the golf course after
hitting a golf ball

Golfer Tiger Woods has Chinese, Thai, African American, Native American, and Dutch
heritage. Individuals with multiple ethnic backgrounds are becoming more common.
(Photo courtesy of familymwr/flickr)

Prior to the twentieth century, racial intermarriage (referred to as miscegenation) was

extremely rare, and in many places, illegal. In the later part of the twentieth century and
in the twenty-first century, attitudes have changed for the better. While the sexual
subordination of slaves did result in children of mixed race, these children were usually
considered black, and therefore, property. There was no concept of multiple racial
identities with the possible exception of the Creole. Creole society developed in the port
city of New Orleans, where a mixed-race culture grew from French and African
inhabitants. Unlike in other parts of the country, “Creoles of color” had greater social,
economic, and educational opportunities than most African Americans.
Increasingly during the modern era, the removal of miscegenation laws and a trend
toward equal rights and legal protection against racism have steadily reduced the social
stigma attached to racial exogamy (exogamy refers to marriage outside a person’s core
social unit). It is now common for the children of racially mixed parents to acknowledge
and celebrate their various ethnic identities. Golfer Tiger Woods, for instance, has
Chinese, Thai, African American, Native American, and Dutch heritage; he jokingly
refers to his ethnicity as “Cablinasian,” a term he coined to combine several of his ethnic
backgrounds. While this is the trend, it is not yet evident in all aspects of our society.
For example, the U.S. Census only recently added additional categories for people to
identify themselves, such as non-white Hispanic. A growing number of people chose
multiple races to describe themselves on the 2010 Census, paving the way for the 2020
Census to provide yet more choices.

You might have heard this “riddle” before. A father and son are in a car accident. The
father is pronounced dead, and the son is taken to the hospital for an operation. The
surgeon sees the son on the table and says, “I can’t operate on him. He’s my son.” Who
is the surgeon?

It’s embarrassing to think that you or someone you know maybe didn’t get the answer
right away. The answer is that the surgeon is the son’s mother.

That riddle is meant to trick us by playing on our stereotypical image of a surgeon. That
image is a male. Women make up one-quarter of all the surgeons throughout the
country, so that image isn’t terribly misguided. But due to some ideas about what a
surgeon should look like and what occupations are suitable for women, many women
are discouraged from entering the surgical profession.

Prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination is obviously not limited to the surgical or

medical world. These practices are at the center of many big and often uncomfortable
topics that are shared around the dinner table. In order to have a more productive
conversation about these issues, it’s best to stay informed.

This video will lay out the definition for some of the terms we hear a lot in these
discussions, primarily prejudice and stereotype. Although we may try our best, we are
all guilty of prejudgement and stereotyping. Knowing what these practices are, and why
we engage in them, is one of the first steps to making more informed and unbiased
decisions.
What is Prejudice?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines prejudice as a “preconceived judgment or

opinion.” It goes on to say that it is “an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just
grounds or before sufficient knowledge.”

Basically, prejudice is an attitude that is formed without reason or actual experience.

The idea that a woman should not be president is an example of prejudice. There is no
reasonable argument that could back up this idea. Yet, we form attitudes that are just as
harmful or inaccurate all the time.

In 1989, Donald Trump spent $85,000 in newspaper ads calling for the death of five
black and Latino teenagers who were accused of raping and beating a white woman in
Central Park. Trump spent this money before the boys could be given a fair trial. His
ideas about the boys’ guilt, and the appropriate punishment for their actions, is an
example of prejudice. The public opinion that formed about the case partially due to
Trump’s ads can also be considered prejudice.

In 2002, a man who was not a part of the “Central Park Five” confessed to the criminal
acts. DNA evidence confirmed his confession, and the five boys were released from
prison and exonerated. In 2019, Trump refused to acknowledge that his judgements
and actions were unjust.

What Is Stereotyping?

Where do our judgements and attitudes come from? Why did Trump form such a strong
judgement against the Central Park Five when they hadn’t been given a proper trial?
Often, prejudice comes from stereotypes.

Prejudice is an attitude. Stereotype is a belief. More specifically, it is an oversimplified

belief about a group of people. Like prejudice, stereotypes are often not based in reason
or personal experience. Stereotypes may come from images that we see in the media
or social values. Your parents, teachers, or community leaders may have taught you to
believe stereotypes, even if they aren’t true.

A stereotype may be the idea that a man is a better leader than a woman. Or the idea
that overweight people are lazy. Or the idea that homeless people are drug addicts.
Stereotypes are generalizations. You might know someone who is overweight and lazy.
That doesn’t mean that the stereotype that overweight people are lazy is true.

It can be extremely hard to unlearn stereotypes. After all, they are taught to us from the
moment we are born. They may be so ingrained in our minds that we don’t consciously
think about them. That’s why riddles like the one mentioned earlier can be so
uncomfortable or eye-opening.

These unconscious stereotypes include implicit association. Your subconscious may

associate white people with more positive traits or LGBTQ people with more negative
traits. And while you may believe that you have an unbiased opinion toward certain
groups, tests like Harvard’s Implicit Association Test may say otherwise.
To go back to the Central Park Five example, Trump’s prejudgement of the five accused
boys was no doubt fueled by stereotypes of Black and Latino men. These stereotypes
may say that Black and Latino men are violent or criminals. Another generalization is
that Black and Latino men are rapists. We see this stereotype re-emerge in 2016, when
Trump suggested that Mexican immigrants were rapists and criminals.

Stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about groups of people. Prejudice refers to thoughts and
feelings, while discrimination refers to actions. Racism refers to the belief that one race is inherently
superior or inferior to other races.

Trump is far from the only person that believes these stereotypes. The dangerous thing
about him, however, is the fact that with his money and power, he can act on prejudice
and stereotypes in ways that affect many people around the world.

Stereotyping and Prejudice Lead to Discrimination

We all hold onto stereotypes that were ingrained in us since birth. We may let these
stereotypes influence our attitudes toward an individual because they belong to a group
we are taught to dislike. This is the unfortunate reality of our word, and no one is
immune to it.

You may be thinking, “but I don’t discriminate against anyone.” That may be right,
although you may still hold onto implicit biases or be prejudiced against one group of
people. Until you take action on these stereotypes and prejudices, you are not
discriminating against others. Discrimination is the behavior that is fueled by prejudice
(attitude) and stereotypes (beliefs.)

But there are actions that you can also take to unlearn the beliefs and attitudes that
negatively influence your decisions. One of these actions is to simply accept the fact
that your beliefs may be influenced by stereotypes and prejudice. Another action to take
is to pick up a book or have a conversation with someone who is different than you. Talk
to them. Listen to them. See how you can open your mind to other ideas about people
who may not look like you or have the same experiences about you. As you start to see
the differences in individuals and groups of people, harmful stereotypes may begin to
unravel.

Difference Between Prejudice and Stereotype

Since the world came into being, people started living in the form of groups. While living
in the groups, people sharing space together and having a camaraderie have certain
beliefs and attitudes towards each other that is literally based on how you well you know
each other. Prejudice and Stereotype are the two types of held believes or image about
the certain people or things within the society.
 Prejudice is a kind of preconceived opinion or assumption about the people or things in
the society that is based on the lack of knowledge. In simpler words we can say that it is
a hasty conclusion about someone or something without having the adequate
knowledge about it. In prejudice one is tend to like or dislike some one based on its
affiliation with certain group. On the other hand, stereotype is the widely held but fixed
and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. In other words
we can say that stereotype is the common mindset about something or someone that
can either be based on truth or false.

Comparison Chart

What is Prejudice?

It is a preconceived image or opinion about something or someone that is actually

based upon the lack of knowledge. It can push one to liking or disliking of someone or
something without having the adequate knowledge about it. In our daily lives we like or
dislike people knowing very little about them, which is based on their affiliation to the
certain type of group. In Prejudice one becomes judgmental quite early and makes a
hasty conclusion without having the adequate knowledge.This belief and attitude
towards the people can be based upon ethnicity, race, gender and caste. Prejudice can
either be positive or negative as it is based upon our knowledge about that particular
thing or person. If one shows likeness to other based upon prejudice it is the positive
prejudice and if one shows dislikeness to other based upon prejudice it is the negative
prejudice.

Example of Prejudice

Hiring a White applicant rather than Asian or Black as one thinks that Whites
have better knowledge about accounts.
What is Stereotype?

It is the common mindset or oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person

or thing. It can either be true or false. It can also be based upon ones’ actual experience
and that is why it stick with himself/herself as the oversimplified image. For instance, if a
girl is in a relationship with boy, and it ends up due to disloyalty from boy’s side. Than
the girl opining that all boys are disloyal will be the stereotype in the case as she will be
following the oversimplified image she got from her experience and the common
mindset of the society. A stereotype can either be positive or negative with respect to
the oversimplified image about particular type of person or thing. Nowadays we hear the
term ‘breaking stereotypes’ it actually refers to doing something beyond the
expectations or the oversimplified image held by the people in the society.

Example of Stereotype

Women can’t join military forces was a common gender based stereotype years back,
now hundreds of women have joined the military forces and are on the top notch,
actually they have broken stereotypes.

Key Differences

1. Prejudice gets defined as the opinion about someone that has nothing to
do with reasoning and personal experiences but just conceived as a
judgment. Whereas, stereotype gets defined as the opinion about
someone that has spread among people that get widely held and
becomes the mere idea of an individual or thing.
2. Prejudice becomes the belief of someone about a group of people. On
the other hand, prejudice becomes a feeling about people based on their
association with someone.
3. Prejudice does not have anything related to the positive or negative
image of someone. On the other hand, the stereotype can either make
others feel negative or positive about things.
4. The act of prejudice does not have any relation to facts or experiences
in life, on the other hand, the act of stereotyping gets based on people
who have actual happenings in life.
5. Prejudice does not base itself on truth and mostly just the opinion of
one person about the other person. On the other hand, the stereotype
may base itself on truth or get originated from prejudice.
6. People who have a prejudice about others may want to cause some
damage to the other person, on the other hand, an individual who
considers others stereotype does not have any such opportunities.
Prejudice, Discrimination, & Stereotypes

Activity 1:
In this lesson, you read about stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Do you think that one
necessarily leads to the other? Do stereotypes necessarily lead to prejudice? Does prejudice
necessarily lead to discrimination? Think about your response to this, and then formulate a
thesis statement describing your opinion. Write down your thesis statement, and then generate
three or four lines of evidence (reasons) supporting your thesis. For example, your thesis might
be that stereotypes necessarily lead to prejudice, and one supporting reason could be that one
behaves in such a way as to be consistent with stereotypically held beliefs.

Activity 2:
Where do stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination come from? How much influence does
one's family of origin have in this regard? Is there an intergenerational transmission of these
beliefs? How much of a role does the media play? How about friends? Society and culture?
Write a three to four paragraph essay reflecting on possible origins of stereotypes, prejudice,
and discrimination. For example, you may believe that stereotypes, prejudice, and
discrimination come from one's family due to what a child heard for 18 years in the household
and that these beliefs could be either reinforced or reduced by society.

Activity 3:
You read about explicit prejudice in this lesson. Have you ever heard of implicit prejudice? This
is essentially a prejudice that people have of which they are not consciously aware. A person
may profess not to hold a stereotype against a certain group, for example, but on an implicit
association test may more readily associate positive traits with one group and negative traits
with another. Some psychologists believe that implicit prejudice is ubiquitous. Do you think that
implicit prejudice leads to discrimination, or can people with these unconscious biases
cognitively override those biases and act in a just and fair manner to all cultural groups? Write a
reflective journal entry discussing your thoughts on this topic. For example, you may feel that
implicit prejudice occurs, but after reflective thought a person can choose to act differently than
the prejudice would dictate.

Stereotypes within the Hospitality Industry

Stereotypes are present in our day to day lives as microaggressions towards people of different diversity
subgroups. These stereotypes are toxic to the workplace in any industry, but especially in the hospitality
industry. In a business that revolves around global travel, it’s imperative that stereotypes do not have a place
in the day-to-day operations. Hospitality is an industry in which having an open mindset and welcoming
people who are different from you needs to be the standard. People are not defined by titles or skin color,
they deserve the chance to define themselves.

Across the globe, people of various ethnicities, genders, and other diversity subgroups are expected to work
together to achieve some common goal. With racism and discrimination constantly proving to be a present
force, stereotypes stem from negative connotations with working with these diverse subgroups. A stereotype
is an over-generalized belief about a particular category of people. Some examples of stereotypes pertain to
ethnicity, gender, appearance, sexual orientation, and age.

In the hospitality industry stereotypes can prove to be toxic towards the morale of employees and guests.
This toxic workplace environment not only effects the employees and guests but also effects the overall
success of the business. In an industry in which travel and globalization are the center piece towards success,
its imperative that acceptance and cooperation among diverse employees is common practice. While an
employee’s at work, fear of discrimination can create a lower standard of work performance rather than
performing job tasks without the stress of judgement and prejudice from coworkers.

Imposing false accusations about a colleague based upon their race, sexual orientation, gender, appearance,
age, religion, social class, geographic location, occupation, disabilities, or other traits that differentiate their
lives from yours classifies as discrimination and prejudice. These are qualities that can create uncomfortable
situations in the workplace, and can hinder the production of employees that are affected by the
discrimination. For example, if Kevin, the CEO of SFA Hotels is hiring a new assistant and has to pick between
Russel and Karen, it would be important that Kevin weighs his options and does not take their gender into
consideration when choosing the best candidate. Kevin needs to determine who is the most qualified based
on education, experience, and overall demeanor towards colleagues. If he were to use their genders as a tool
of judgement, this would be unethical. The results of stereotypes in the hospitality workplace, whether
positive or negative, can impact the balance of comradery and independence when employees are
performing daily tasks. If attitude and overall employee happiness is down due to a poor work environment,
the business is bound to see a period of decreased patronage. Guests can tell if an employee enjoys their
jobs, and in an industry in which the guest perceptive is the key to success, businesses cannot afford any
hiccups. With civil rights and strong feminist movements becoming a front-page event in today’s society, it is
an important quality to look for companies that value equality and discourage stereotyping among their
employees. Companies that promote and support a strong diverse workplace will see a correlating increase in
employee satisfaction, and in relation guest satisfaction. The turnover rates in the hospitality industry are
extremely high as they are, and to avoid having a high turnover rate, it is important to make every employee
feel valued and welcomed every day at work. When working in an industry that revolves around working in
tandem with individuals from around the world, there is no room for racism and prejudice, and therefore, no
room for toxic stereotypes that encourages these behaviors.

In our society, it has become a norm for people to joke about those who are different from them. This
behavior is encouraged by popular media platforms such as television, films, and social media. Falling into
this rabbit hole of stereotypes puts groups of people into bubbles that they cannot pop. It’s important that
our society learns how to avoid negative connotations towards others that are different from us. It is
important that our society gains the opportunity to be educated in diversity awareness to avoid having a
closed mindset towards working in tandem with those who are different from them. A person should be able
to find their own path towards their happiness, and not face obstacles that are placed in front of them by
opposing groups. In regards to the hospitality industry, stereotypes have no room in the work environment,
and everybody should feel comfortable with themselves and with others.

JUNE 18, 2020

Bias, Prejudice and Stereotyping in

the Hospitality Industry
Despite meaningful progress in relationships, racial and ethnic discrimination,
prejudice remain a part of modern life. Unconscious bias, which is often the case,
is unintentional stereotyping based on race, gender, orientation, economic status,
education level – happens across all sectors.
Restaurants, hotels, and resorts have long struggled with the issue. In 1970,
hospitality industry and trade unions maintained separate union locals and hiring
halls for men and women.

Worldwide, bias (conscious or unconscious) has incurred businesses losses in

settlements.  Such issues have brought bad publicity to businesses, permanently
affecting their brand image and identity.

While is it important to diversify the hospitality industry of Maldives, more often

than not employments are unconsciously or consciously biased and racist.

Recently, a Human Resource Director highlighted the issue, “In my 20s and 30s I
struggled to find a job that fit my knowledge and skills. My applications were
ignored or rejected by international brands, foreign and local HR Managers, and
General Managers. No one ever agreed to be biased or prejudiced. Systemic
implicit bias is still present today. Many young Maldivians lose out to less
qualified foreigners. Regulations alone will not solve this problem. We need to
understand the reasons, educate, and train those involved (including those
applying for jobs) and incentivize local employment.”

According to research, there is an expatriate worker in the country for every four
members of the local population. While workers contribute to the economic
growth by boosting consumer demand by providing human capital to meet
shortfalls in local (available and willing) labor, it has also led to crowding out of
local labor. The low level of employment of locals in the country, and especially
the high level of inactivity is very likely to be contributed to by the large and
growing expatriate population. In particular, relatively less skilled or less
educated locals can be easily displaced by incoming low skilled expatriates.

Tourism industry is the second largest employer of expatriate labor, responsible

for 17% of all expatriate employment in the country. Many industrial specialists
have pointed out systemic implicit bias present in the Maldivian hospitality
industry.

A renowned GM with years of experience in the hospitality industry has said its
time industry gave proper attention to develop the local force. “There is no rocket
science jobs in hotel industry; if I can do it, anyone can do it”, he said.

High-profile companies in the hospitality industry are being recognized for

highlighting gender equality and other diversity issues.

One Director of Sales and Marketing (DOSM) speaking from her own experience
said, “I was leading a team for a very long time and suddenly the responsibilities
were handed off to a fair-skinned individual, who was more than underqualified,
with bigger pay. I had to teach him everything.”

Sharing his view on the topic, Director of Sales and Marketing in a big hotel chain
said that he had to apply to about 15 different places before he was given a job
opportunity.

“I believe the main problem was people’s mentality and their denial to give
chances to locals during that time,” he said. “The mentality was probably based on
how tourism started and how the perception was kept. I had finished my diploma
and struggled for 6 months. It was around 2008.

”However, his experience in another brand changed his perspective on the

issue.“Fair chance is given to everyone equally,” he said. “From shortlisting to
interview process. Locals should take more initiative and work hard to get jobs,
expecting to get managerial roles right away is not logical, it is better to grow
slowly so it will help develop the career as well.”

While several continue to advocate and take measures to eliminate systemic

implicit bias within the community, there are still lots of room for improvement, a
marketing manager with over 15 years of experience said.

Localization of businesses is critical for the country. A Human Resource Director

has highlighted the need for an authority to make human capital development
strategies and make long term plans, possibly for the next 2-3 years. “No issue can
be solved unless we have a solid foundation that can govern it well on a monthly,
quarterly and yearly basis that can alight with the vision of 20-30 years”, he said.
“We need to do better at a strategic level in the country to improve industry.”

Reserving quotas for nationals as the spine of the international recruitment

system is one thing that could help in the long process. Orienting effective
vocational trainings for Maldivian youth depending on the industry is another way
to attract and train skilled locals who would lead the industry in the future.

Hospitality industry should look beyond the influence of social and cultural
factors, to employ capable and passionate individuals that would contribute to the
development of the industry.

References

Theodore. (2020, April). Prejudice vs Stereotype (Definitions +

Examples). Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/prejudice-vs-stereotype/.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sociology/chapter/stereotypes-prejudice-and-discrimination/

https://www.difference.wiki/prejudice-vs-stereotype/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/prejudice-discrimination-stereotypes-definitions-examples.html

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/workplace-stereotyping-a_b_564233

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1027&context=shsrs

Shelby Becker, Joli Ballew, Nikki Acayan; Gina Fe G. Causin, Ph.D. HMS 485, Hospitality Administration, School
of Human Sciences, James I. Perkins College of Education
https://corporatemaldives.com/bias-prejudice-and-stereotyping-in-the-hospitality-industry-2/