Types of Discrimination in the Workplace

I have done a great deal of work, as much as a man, but did not get so much pay. I used to work in the field and bind grain, keeping up with the cradler; but men doing no more, got twice as much pay.... We do as much, we eat as much, we want as much. - Sojourner Truth

In general words, discrimination at the workplace refers to any unfair treatment given to an employee based on some preconceived aspects. Though, we may have a belief that in the 21st century's corporate world there is no place for discrimination. However, you need to note that workplace discrimination is prevalent in some or the other form. It may be observed in terms of hiring, in return of some favors, firing an employee from the job for improper reasons, following unfair promotion practices, offering insufficient salary, and simply behaving badly at the workplace.

Considering the types of discrimination in the workplace, there have been some laws laid down in support of the people facing such situations. In order to control the types of discrimination in America; the country adopted acts such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and most importantly for the business world, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. Note that all discrimination might not be illegal, but may have an adverse impact on the mental condition of the employee.

Age Discrimination
A company may prefer younger candidates as potential employees over employees in their middle ages, just because younger employees are more likely to work for a lesser pay. This age discrimination in the workplace may even be put in to practice while terminating employees.

Physical Condition Discrimination
Companies may also refuse to recruit or mistreat employees just because they are not good-looking and do not have a pleasing personality, irrespective of their skill sets. Some organizations may even reject job applicants who are obese or disabled.

Gender Discrimination
This type of discrimination is somewhat fading away as women are excelling in all sectors of the industry. Gender discrimination in the workplace means the employer giving importance to the employee's gender, rather than skill, while deciding on the pay, promotion, and work responsibilities.

Marital Status Discrimination
Marital status discrimination takes place when the employer takes decisions about employment while considering whether the person is married, living alone, divorced, or widowed.

Religion Discrimination
This discrimination relates to the situation when the employer favors a person for job offers, promotions, and pay increase; just because he belongs to his own religion. In religion discrimination, people from other religions are likely to be ill-treated.

Native Place Discrimination
Some companies reject job applications on the basis of the country the applicants are from, the race they belong to, and the language they use. Provided that the applicant is permitted to work in the US, it is unlawful for the employer to reject candidates on racial and citizenship terms. If you are a victim of racial discrimination in the workplace, you do have the option of consulting with a lawyer.

There are many others such as employment discrimination which relates to applicants being mistreated because they are on the payroll of the company on a part-time basis, and sexual orientation discrimination which refers to when the employer considers the person's sexual preferences for determining certain job aspects. The types of discrimination against women in the workplace may include verbal, written or sexual harassment. However, in the era of globalization of companies, many of the above mentioned discrimination are observed on a lower scale.