Discrimination Essay In A Nutshell
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The history of mankind is sodden with discrimination. It takes different forms and shapes, and modern society is not an exception. It is at stake of cultural history and has influenced many social, cultural, and economic occurrences that we see today.
Thus, any student will face a writing assignment dedicated to this subject matter sooner or later.
It is not that difficult when you know the principles of proper academic writing. Yet, when you have no time or decided to write it without an outline, you may end up in a deadlock.
Here we cover the basics of the writing of the essay on discrimination. Weaponize yourself with the tips from pro writers!
What is a discrimination essay?
There are several types of discrimination based on:
- Gender
- Race
- Religion
- Sexual orientation
- Education
- Age
- Disability, etc.
Each and every type of discrimination implicates the superiority of a certain group of people over another group of people. One of the main problems here is that many people mess up the notion of discrimination with the notion of prejudice and stereotypes. It is necessary to understand that, as a rule, stereotype and prejudice cause discrimination, but, these notions are not exactly the same.
This theme is controversial, multifaceted, and can be approached from different points of view. Thus, the list of disciplines that can cover issues connected to discrimination includes Psychology, Social Sciences, Political Science, Anthropology, Religion Studies, History, etc.
Racial discrimination essay essentials
The issue of racism is a hot button for American society. Naturally, this issue is widely depicted in the literary works, works of art, movies, etc., so you will definitely find enough research material. The problem here is of another kind. It is essential to make up your mind on the topic.
We have gathered some interesting ideas that you can use for your papers.
Essay on racism and discrimination
First and foremost, it is necessary to set these two notions apart: racism and racial discrimination are not the same. In fact, you will write a cause-and-effect essay where racism will be a cause, and racial discrimination will be the effect. Or, vice versa, you can approach this topic another way. Indicate that discrimination is a much broader notion than racism.
Consequently, racism is one of the manifestations of discrimination. Both approaches are correct, so the choice is yours. Select the one that seems more interesting to you and start working!
Racial discrimination in the workplace essay
A workplace is a place where all types of discrimination appear from time to time, so it provides a fertile field for the research. For example, you can dedicate the essay on racial discrimination to the issue of prejudice in this sphere.
Thus, as a rule, employers tend to hire white people to do intellectual labor and black people to do physical work. A heavy accent or poor knowledge of English can also become a stumbling block on the way to a good job.
The best sources to search for information are the laws and social programs aimed to protect workers from unfair treatment.
So you can make an insight into the current situation with labor legislation, what steps are taken to eliminate the racial discrimination at work and evaluate their efficiency. Another idea for the essay dedicated to the work issues is your solutions to them with solid argumentation.
Anti-racism paper
As the issue of racism is old as the hills, the search for the sound solution also takes different shapes and forms. There are many policies, movements, activists, and even scientific investigations aimed to prove that all people have similar physiology and development despite the race.
Here you can discuss the activities of the anti-apartheid movements (and, obviously, explain what apartheid is), or to discuss the influence of a particular anti-racist activist on the certain movement or event.
Racial discrimination in media
If you are an attentive TV viewer, this topic won’t need any further explanation. All you need is a thorough analysis of a cast of characters of any TV show or movie.
Thanks to racial prejudice, African Americans are typically criminals or hip hop musicians (often both), and Asian Americans are nerds with no communicational skills. All main roles are played by white people almost without exception.
Even Disney cartoons are not an exception!
If to compare Aladdin and Jafar, for example, it becomes clear that positive hero has whiter and more regular features, and the main villain has a more exotic appearance, though both characters are supposed to be of Arabic appearance.
Another idea for a thematic prejudice and discrimination essay is the negative effects of racial discrimination in media. Or, if you want a challenging task, try to search for some positive effects of racism in media.
Racial discrimination in literary works
The first one that comes to mind is, obviously, Othello. It is a brilliant example of the consequences of intolerance and the belief that one race is superior to others.
Another great discussion point is the aptitude of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in the school program. The text of this novel is filled with offensive, racist words and may seem abusive, so can the cultural values overweight the offense?
Or you may discuss the issues connected with Uncle Tom’s Cabin. On the one hand, this novel had a great influence on the start of the American Civil War. On the other, the novel is filled with racial stereotypes.
Gender discrimination essay ideas
Unequal treatment of men and women is evidenced in the Bible, let alone less famous sources. The situation started to change only in the 20th century with the development of the women’s rights movement. Still, in many countries, women’s rights are often neglected or abused.
The main types of gender discrimination are:
- Education
- Employment
- Remuneration
Educational gender discrimination
Perhaps, it is the most popular topic for a college discrimination essay. Here you can talk about the preference to male students in the scholarship programs or admissions.
Do not forget to find enough statistics!
Gender discrimination in the workplace
There are at least three main issues that any woman can face with the attempt to find a job. First and foremost, when there are two candidates for a position, a man and a woman, an employer is more likely to choose a man. The next issue is sexual harassment.
According to the statistics, almost half of employed American women faced sexual, verbal, or physical harassment at work. Also, the very possibility to become pregnant and then take a maternity leave drives away employers.
Remuneration issues
It is a well-known fact that women get 25% less money than men for an equal amount of work. You can offer a solution to this issue or pay more attention to the statistics.
Essay on discrimination outline
As any other academic paper, this essay calls for proper planning and clear and logical structure. You will have to divide the paper into three parts: the intro, body, and conclusion.
As a result, the sample outline for gender discrimination in the workplace essay will look like this:
Intro
- Definition of discrimination
- Gender discrimination as a part of the discrimination
- Main idea
Main Body
- Historical review + examples
- Labor legislation and its inefficiency + examples
- Current situation + possible solutions
Conclusion
- Restatement of the main idea
- Call to action
Starting discrimination essay introduction
The best way to start the intro, in this case, is to find some impressive statistics that highlight the scale of the issue. For example, 77% of women and 34% of men faced verbal sexual harassment at work according to the online survey by Stop Street Harassment.
Then you have to provide the background for your work. And the intro should be finished by the thesis statement on discrimination, aka the main idea of the text.
For example, inefficient labor legislation fails to protect women’s rights in the workplace.
Writing the body of the essay
The first paragraph s dedicated to the historical aspect of the problem. Thus, you show that the issue is not new, yet, still has no proper solution.
The second paragraph contains all your research about the legislation that should protect women’s equal rights with men and shows the void of laws. You will have to support this thought with real-life examples taken from trustworthy sources.
The last body paragraph provides your point of view on the solution to the problem.
Writing the discrimination essay conclusion
Usually, this section summarizes all the main ideas expressed in the paper. Then you restate the thesis statement and make a call-to-action aimed to leave an aftertaste after reading it.
The list of the most interesting discrimination essay topics
- LGBT discrimination essay: homophobia.
- Are there any racist ideas in Charles Darwin’s works?
- The differences in racism against men and women.
- Will racism ever disappear?
- Can religion cause racism?
- The problem of reverse discrimination.
- Is feminism relevant today?
- The concept of cultural racism.
- The problem of racism in the “Shape of Water” by Guillermo Del Toro.
- The issue of racism in “Green Mile” by Steven King.
Check out well-written discrimination essay examples
The theory is always helpful, but it’s always better to see the visual example. You can search for top-notch essay samples at a reliable custom writing service and use them as a source of inspiration.
On balance…
The issue of discrimination is one of the front burner issues for any society. The range of topics is huge, so as the problem itself, so you have plenty of variants to choose from. Search for relevant info, pay attention to planning and formatting and create a writing masterpiece!
And if you cannot complete this task on your own, feel free to ask professionals for help! Sometimes it is the wisest solution that helps to save tons of time and energy.
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