The 3 differences between discrimination, exclusion and oppression

The words discrimination, exclusion and oppression are often heard very much in times of struggle for the acquisition of rights, denunciation of abuses by the most powerful and obtaining justice Social.

Although these terms are not seen as synonyms, their definitions do complement each other in certain aspects. Therefore below we will see the differences between discrimination, exclusion and oppression.

• Related article: "What is social psychology?"

Main differences between discrimination, exclusion and oppression

The words discrimination, exclusion and oppression are very frequently said in contexts where carries out some kind of struggle to acquire rights or criticize the power and privileges of the most wealthy. Although these three terms are not used interchangeably, they can sometimes be confusing. To what extent is discrimination oppression? Is exclusion a consequence of discrimination?

There is a relationship between the three, which is interesting to see the main differences between discrimination, exclusion and oppression, not without first understanding in depth what these mean three terms.

What is discrimination?

Discrimination is the different treatment of a person or a group of them based on their social identity. This identity is made up of different factors, such as religion, race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, educational level, criminal record and marital status.

While it is normally understood that discrimination is treating a person unfairly for being different, It can be said that discrimination really only implies differential treatment, which may or may not be negative (p. g., positive discrimination).

In most cases, discrimination is usually the result of prejudice. Normally, this prejudice implies believing that someone is inferior or dangerous for the simple fact of having a characteristic that differentiates it from the rest, implying the possibility of being treated unfairly. This can lead to rejection and exclusion, two key aspects of discrimination that, in turn, can evolve into oppression.

Discrimination can take many forms. For example, there are countries in which it is assumed that men can perform different professions while women only allows them to carry out very specific ones, such as nursing, children's education or others in which they carry out the role of caregivers. Added to this, women receive lower wages than men. Here we would be facing a case of gender discrimination, treating women differently from men and to their detriment.

Another way discrimination is racism. Believing that people are better or worse based on their race is a classic example of discrimination that, although it has been quite low in the United States today, not until recently. much was the main reason why African-American citizens could not freely use the bathrooms in the establishments or sit where they wanted in the bathrooms. buses.

• You may be interested in: "The 16 types of discrimination (and their causes)"

What is exclusion?

Exclusion is the situation in which an individual or group of them is segregated, marginalized or separated based on some particular characteristic such as their race, religion, nationality, political ideology, disability or other aspects. This exclusion implies that certain individuals or group of people cannot relate to the rest of society or have the same rights.

We say that a person or group of them suffer exclusion when they do not have access or present serious difficulties in accessing job, training, cultural or political opportunities in the society in which they have lived. Exclusion can also manifest itself in the form of deprivation of basic services, such as water drinking water or electricity, not having recognition in the health system or not having protection Social.

Excluded groups, not having as many advantages as the rest of society, are prone to suffer from poverty, be victims of stigmatization and discrimination, having a shorter life expectancy due to not having access to well-paid jobs or an adequate health system that cover. An excluded person cannot fully enjoy his status as a citizen, nor to enjoy their rights as such.

Exclusion is deeply ingrained in many societies and is nurtured by cultural aspects. In most cases, excluding a certain group of people within a society responds to obedience to systems of values ​​and codes according to the which people who do not conform to the idea of ​​"perfect citizen" or "normal person" should be rejected or set aside, in order to avoid contaminating the the rest.

It should be said that exclusion does not have to be based on wanting to prevent one group of people from contaminating the rest, but rather consider that they cannot fully adapt in society and that it is necessary to make a separate one for them.

An example of exclusion in this sense is special education until not long ago, in which, motivated by a certain paternalism, students caregivers of people with intellectual disabilities preferred to keep them separate from other students for fear that they might not feel comfortable.

What is oppression?

We understand oppression as unfair, cruel and persistent treatment or an attempt to control a specific social category. It is about that situation in which people are controlled or governed in an unfair and cruel way. When oppression is taken against specific groups of people, without harming the whole society, that is when we speak of discrimination.

Oppression feeds on discrimination. Discrimination contributes to the creation of different levels of power within society.

When a group of people has power over others, this creates a profitable situation, in which the most powerful group can oppress the group with the least power. An example of this is the historical racial discrimination of the USA, which not only manifested itself in hatred towards African Americans but also in the deprivation of rights that people did possess white.

When there is oppression, people are deprived of opportunity and freedom, and it can affect everyone. In other words, it may be the case that an entire society, with the exception of those who govern it, is oppressed, as is the case with dictatorships. An authoritarian government can use oppression to subjugate its citizens and deny them their rights and privileges.

Similarly, oppression can be applied to a particular social group, such as women, poor people, homosexuals, transgender people or Muslims.

The keys to distinguish between these concepts

Discrimination implies treating someone differently for a particular aspect, something that is also shared with exclusion. The difference is that discrimination does not necessarily mean excluding someoneWhile exclusion does imply discriminating against someone based on their characteristics.

Discrimination can imply oppression, in the sense that the people who feel more powerful within a society and they consider the different ones inferior to them, they can apply coercive techniques and harm those who do not hold power. Nevertheless, oppression does not always imply discrimination, since oppressing is the act of depriving people of rights and freedoms, which could be a specific group of people or an entire society in which they are part.

Discrimination and exclusion can be done “innocently”. Discrimination implies treating someone based on a characteristic that differentiates him from the rest, without the need for it to be done maliciously or with malicious intent (p. g., speaking slowly to a person with Down syndrome). Exclusion can be done thinking that it is "the best" for that person or group, as is the previously mentioned case of special education until recently. Instead, oppression is inherently bad, done with malice and with the intention of causing harm to the individual or persons.