Discrimination And Prejudice Affects Families

How Discrimination and Prejudice Affects Families Discrimination is basically defined as the unfair or prejudicial treatment of various kinds of people or things, particularly on the basis of age, race, sex or ethnicity. In contrast, prejudice can be described as a preconceived opinion about a person or a group of people that is not based on experience or research. Discrimination and prejudice occur in various societies as various groups of people are wrong preconceived opinions and unfair treatment that is fueled by various factors. Some of the most common factors that generate discrimination and prejudice include cultural differences, religious differences, socio-economic differences, racial differences, differences in sexual orientation

The emergence of a socio-cultural stressor is attributed to the fact that discrimination is a stressor beyond a person’s control. This stressor affects the kind of support and affection family members give to one another by generating self-reliant and aggressive behaviors. Moreover, the socio-cultural stressor due to discrimination generates increased frustrations and negative arousal that extends interactions among family members. The third impact of discrimination on families is social isolation since the unfair treatment creates a perception that family members have no voice and lack status in the society. Social isolation is also fueled by feelings of low self-esteem, lack of power and choices, stigmatization, and judgments from others (Davies,

Shoemate is a widow who has unsuccessfully applied for various jobs positions in different companies in her county. She recently unsuccessfully applied for a job as a receptionist in one of the biggest hotels in this county. When she telephones the human resources manager to inquire about the rejection of her application, she is informed that the hotel’s manager does not want to employ an individual with an accent. It is quite evident that Shoemate is experiencing employment discrimination because of her race. This discrimination is affecting Shoemate’s parenting and child rearing practices by impacting her ability to successfully socialize with her daughters. Generally, parental support and sensitivity to their children tends to decrease when they are stressed by personal experiences of racial discrimination and other forms of prejudice (Sanders-Phillips, Settles-Reaves, Walker & Brownlow, 2009, p.S179). Shoemate is having difficulties in providing warm and caring environment for her daughters because she is stressed with her experiences of employment discrimination. This is evident in her aggressive behaviors and harsh discipline as well as explosive parenting