Types of Discrimination- Terms

Racism- Negative behaviour based on an incorrect assumption that one race is

inherently superior to others
Discrimination- Unfair actions directed against people based on their race, gender,
ethnicity, nationality, language, faith or sexual orientation
Homophobia- the hatred or fear of homosexuals - that is, lesbians and gay men -
sometimes leading to acts of violence and expressions of hostility.
Ageism- stereotyping and discriminating against individuals or groups on the basis of
their age
Sexism- prejudice or discrimination based on a person's sex or gender
Hate Crimes- an offence committed against a person or property, which is motivated, in
whole or in part, by the suspect's hate, bias or prejudice towards an identifiable group
based on, real or perceived, race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion,
sex, age, mental or physical disability
Individual Discrimination- the unjust and discriminatory mistreatment of an individual
or group of individuals by society and its institutions as a whole, through unequal
selection or bias, intentional or unintentional; as opposed to individuals making a
conscious choice to discriminate.
Systemic Discrimination- patterns of behaviour, policies or practices that are part of
the structures of an organization, and which create or perpetuate disadvantage for
racialized persons
Genocide- The most extreme form of systemic discrimination, by which deliberate
attempts are made by authorities at mass murder of any national, ethnic, racial, or
religious group
Prejudice- A set of opinions, attitudes and feelings that unfairly case a group and its
members in a negative light without legitimate reasons
Stereotypes- false or generalized beliefs about a group of people that result in
categorizing members without regard for individual difference