10 Types of Discrimination and How to Protect Yourself

Key Takeaways

• Discrimination can happen based on traits like race, gender, age, or disability.
• Knowing your rights helps you recognize discrimination and figure out how to deal with it.
• You can file a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission if you face job discrimination.

Discrimination is defined as prejudiced, unfair, or unequal treatment of people based on their personal characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, nation of origin, or gender (gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy).

Discrimination is a reality that many people face in different areas of their lives every day. In 2017, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported more than 80,000 workplace discrimination complaints. Of these complaints, 30% were based on sex, 34% on race, and 22% on age.

This unfair and unequal treatment can impact people’s access to equitable education, employment, compensation, housing, and healthcare. Discrimination is considered a social determinant of health; it is part of a person’s social environment that can affect other factors, including housing, education, and employment, that affect health and well-being.

While there are laws in place that protect people from discrimination in employment and housing, prejudice and unfair treatment still frequently occur. Knowing how to recognize discrimination and understanding your rights can help you decide how to handle it if you experience discriminatory treatment.

Protections Against Discrimination

Learning more about your rights can also help you better recognize discrimination and know how to respond when you encounter it. Some laws are in place that protect people from discrimination in areas such as housing and employment, including:

• The Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act: Protect workers from discrimination based on age, disability, nationality, sex, color, race, pregnancy, and sexual orientation.
• The Fair Housing Act: Protects people from being discriminated against based on their parental status, religion, nationality, race, color, and disability when buying, renting, or financing housing.

1. Age Discrimination

Age discrimination, sometimes referred to as ageism, involves being treated unfairly based on your age. For example, age discrimination may originate from the idea that older adults are less willing to accept change or learn new skills, which can lead to an unwillingness to train, hire and promote older workers.

While it is often applied to discrimination against older adults, it can also involve bias against people of all ages.

Examples of ageism include being fired, not being hired, not getting promoted, not receiving equitable training, or not getting job assignments because of your age. This might involve being fired in favor of hiring a younger candidate or not being promoted because an employer believes you are too young.

How to Handle It

Age-based discrimination is illegal in some instances. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects job applicants and employees over the age of 40 from being discriminated against based on their age. It protects workers against discrimination in hiring, promotion, termination, compensation, job training, or other conditions and privileges of employment. Unfortunately, workers under the age of 40 are not protected by ADEA.

If you have experienced employment discrimination due to age, you can file a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by visiting their website.

The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 forbids age-based discrimination in programs and activities that receive financial assistance from the federal government, such as housing programs and educational institutions. It covers discrimination against people of all ages and is enforced by the Civil Rights Center.

2. Disability Discrimination

Disability discrimination involves unfair or biased treatment of individuals due to their disability. Title I and V of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protect against disability discrimination in employment, public accommodations, access to programs and services, and communications. 

Disabilities that qualify for ADA protection include depression, cancer, schizophrenia, intellectual disability, epilepsy, diabetes, and a host of other conditions. However, people may still be protected even if they don’t have a formal diagnosis if their condition limits one or more major life areas or activities.

Discrimination can be direct, such as not hiring someone because of a chronic illness, or indirect, such as having job requirements that exclude people with disabilities. It can also involve harassment, victimization, and failing to provide reasonable accommodations.

How to Handle It

If you have experienced disability discrimination, you can file an ADA complaint with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Your complaint may be referred to the ADA Mediation Program or to a federal agency that will handle specific issues related to your complaint. In some cases, you may be contacted for further information, or the Department of Justice may open an investigation into your complaint.

3. Sexual Orientation

Sexual orientation discrimination refers to discriminatory treatment based on a person’s sexual orientation. This discrimination may involve the denial of rights and services related to employment and housing. It can also involve verbal or physical harassment and other displays of prejudice.

Examples of this type of discrimination include refusing to hire someone because they are gay or refusing to rent to someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. It can also involve harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity that creates a hostile work environment.

An example of this would include repeatedly and intentionally using the wrong pronouns or deadnaming a transgender employee.

How to Handle It

Sexual orientation is covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which provides employment protections against discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It prohibits discrimination that affects any aspect of employment, including hiring, job assignments, pay, training, promotions, layoffs, and any other benefit or condition of employment.

If you have experienced workplace discrimination based on your sexual orientation or gender identity, you can contact the EEOC at 1-800-669-4000 to file a charge.

4. Status as a Parent

Discrimination can also occur based on a parental status, or whether or not someone is a parent. It includes having children, but it also applies to not having children. For those who are parents, it includes biological parents, step-parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, custodians of a legal ward, or in loco parentitis.

In loco parentitis refers to a responsible adult who acts in place of a parent, such as an adult who is caring for their grandchild, their partner’s child, or a relative’s child.

Examples of discrimination based on status as a parent might include:

• Firing someone for being pregnant
• Reducing someone’s hours because they are a parent
• Expecting childless employees to work longer hours
• Denying promotions to people because they have children
• Excluding people from activities based on their parental status
• Transferring someone to a different job because they had a baby
• Making disparaging comments about someone’s status as a parent

How to Handle It

An executive order prohibiting discrimination based on parental status in federal employment was signed in 2000.

If you have experienced such discrimination, keep a record of when the event occurred and notify the EEOC. You may then be asked to participate in dispute resolution with the employer or provide more information if the EEO opens a formal investigation.

Unfortunately, there is no federal law protecting people against parental status discrimination in the private sector. Some states, such as New York, provide protections for parents in the workplace. Some aspects of parental status may also be protected by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 and the Family and Medical Leave Act.

5. Religious Discrimination

Religious discrimination is treating someone differently or unfairly based on their religious beliefs and practices. It can involve unfavorable attitudes or behaviors directed at people who belong to major world religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, or Buddhism. It can also involve discrimination against people with other deeply held religious, moral, and ethical beliefs, including those who do not have religious beliefs.

Examples of religious discrimination can involve mocking someone’s religious practices, harassment that creates a hostile work environment, and segregating them from others due to their religion.

How to Handle It

Religious discrimination in hiring, firing, and other aspects of employment is prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Employers must provide reasonable accommodations for religious practices unless it presents an undue burden. This also protects people who are part of non-traditional religions and atheists.

If you have experienced religious discrimination in the workplace, you can file a charge online with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In the private sector, you must file a claim within 180 days of the incident. If you work for the federal government, you must contact an EEO counselor within 45 days.

6. National Origin

Discrimination based on national origin involves prejudiced treatment due to a person’s place of birth, culture, ancestry, or linguistic characteristics.

Examples of this type of discrimination include denying someone employment because of their accent or harassing them because of their nationality.

Teasing or offhand remarks would qualify as discrimination if they create a hostile work environment.

How to Handle It

National origin discrimination in the workplace is prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. You can file a report with the EEOC if you have experienced workplace discrimination because of your national origin.

7. Pregnancy

Pregnancy discrimination involves unfair treatment of pregnant people in the workplace. It can involve treating people unfavorably because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.

Examples can include:

• Not hiring people because they are pregnant
• Firing people for being pregnant
• Denying promotions to pregnant people
• Not providing training, benefits, assignments, or other conditions of employment to pregnant individuals

While there are legal protections against this type of discrimination, many workers still experience denied accommodations, forced leave, or job loss during or after a pregnancy.

How to Handle It

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 protects employees against discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth.

Such protections apply to current pregnancy, past pregnancy, potential pregnancy, conditions related to pregnancy, lactation/breastfeeding, abortion, and birth control.

Pregnant people are also protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) if they develop a disability or condition resulting from pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes.

If you have experienced employment discrimination as a result of pregnancy or a pregnancy-related disability, you can file a charge with the EEOC.

8. Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment involves unwanted sexual advances. Examples can include comments, touches, gestures, written communications, or other unwanted advances. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes two kinds of sexual harassment: quid pro quo and hostile work environment.

Quid pro quo harassment involves a person in a position of power offering employment rewards, such as promotions or raises, in exchange for sexual favors. A hostile work environment involves sexual harassment, making it difficult and uncomfortable for employees to perform.

How to Handle It

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also prohibits sexual discrimination, and you can file a charge with the EEOC office.

9. Race, Color, and Sex

Discrimination can also occur based on a person’s race, color, or sex. The Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also prohibits such discrimination.

Examples can include:

• Treating people differently in the workplace due to their sex
• Refusing to hire someone because of their race
• Harassing or mistreating people because of the pigment of their skin

People may face unfair treatment in housing, hiring, education, and other areas based on their race or skin tone. It demonstrates how systemic biases continue to affect opportunities for people of color.

Sex-based discrimination limits people’s potential and reinforces outdated gender stereotypes. Wage gaps and unequal access to leadership positions are two examples of how sex discrimination holds people back.

How to Handle It

If you have experienced discrimination due to your race, color, or sex, you can file a complaint with the EEOC office.

10. Reprisal / Retaliation

People can also face additional discrimination after reporting discrimination or participating in an investigation. Retaliation and reprisal often take the form of hostile treatment, demotions, and dismissals.

Employment laws protect workers from discrimination for filing a complaint or participating in the equal employment opportunity process. Examples of reprisal and retaliation include:

• Firing or demoting workers who have participated in an EEOC investigation
• Denying promotions, benefits, or other conditions of employment to workers who have filed complaints
• Bullying, threatening, harassing, or reprimanding employees who have opposed unfair employment practices

The EEOC notes that retaliation is the most frequently reported form of discrimination in the federal sector.

How to Handle It

If you have been subjected to retaliation or reprisal for filing a complaint, participating in the EEO process, or opposing discrimination in the workplace, you must file a charge with the EEOC within 180 days if you are working in the private sector or contact an EEOC counselor if you are a federal employee.

What Happens After You File a Complaint

After filing a complaint of employment discrimination based on age, disability, sexual orientation, race, pregnancy, or another type of discrimination, the EEOC will investigate. They may offer mediation, which may result in your employer taking steps to correct the situation. Or you may opt to file a lawsuit for unlawful discrimination. In some cases, the EEOC may take legal action on your behalf. 

How to Cope With Discrimination

There are laws intended to combat discrimination in the workplace and in housing, but discrimination often takes more subtle and insidious forms in everyday interactions. Examples can include microaggressions (making rude or invalidating comments), being treated with disrespect, being ignored, or getting poorer service.

Moreover, the stigma associated with various mental health conditions (using insensitive terms or labels or denying someone educational/housing/employment opportunities on the basis of a mental illness) can also be forms of discrimination.

Outside of federal, state, and local laws that prohibit discrimination based on an individual’s personal characteristics, there are other things steps you can take.

Explore Workplace Options

Learn more about the options for reporting and addressing discrimination in your workplace. This might include reporting the discrimination to human resources and having discussions with trusted supervisors.

Seek Support

Discrimination can harm self-esteem, particularly when people start to internalize the negative attitudes they encounter. Surrounding yourself with supportive people can help alleviate some of the detrimental effects of discrimination, validate your experiences, and remind you of your value.

You might also consider joining advocacy groups that help raise awareness of discrimination and support people who have experienced it. It can be a great way to talk to other people who have had similar experiences and connect with a supportive network that can offer advice and information.

Manage Stress Levels

Encountering discrimination is stressful and can trigger anger, sadness, and anxiety. Stress leads to a range of physical, emotional, and behavioral responses, including negative emotions and increased blood pressure.

Because stress has significant health implications, it is essential to find ways to manage these feelings when they happen.

Experiment with different stress management techniques to determine what works best for you. Some that you might find helpful include deep breathing, yoga, meditation, exercise, aromatherapy, or guided imagery. 

Talk to a Professional

Facing discrimination can also increase your risk of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Talking to a mental health professional can also help you cope with the effects of discrimination.

You can use the American Psychological Association (APA) Psychologist Locator tool to find licensed psychologists in your area who can help you cope with discrimination-related issues. You might also consider the Inclusive Therapists Directory to find BIPOC and LGBTQ+ mental health providers.