In a world that is quick to state discrimination has taken place, there is a new discrimination emerging (i.e., reverse discrimination). Is this form of discrimination really discrimination? What diversity practices would you put in place to prevent any kind of discrimination?
Generally, reverse discrimination occurs when members of a majority or historically privileged group (e.g., Caucasians or males) are treated differently due to their race, gender, age, or other protected characteristics. Some believe that race norming is just reverse discrimination and gives preferential treatment to underrepresented racial groups rather than equal treatment (Noe et al., 2023). Essentially, reverse discrimination occurs when individuals are treated differently because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or age, also known as disparate treatment.
In the United States, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on work-irrelevant characteristics such as gender, race, color, national origin, and religion (Lee, 2022). Those who believe they have been discriminated against unlawfully may bring a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which investigates and decides whether any law has been violated (Lee, 2022). Several studies have shown that perceived discrimination negatively impacts employee outcomes, including job satisfaction, turnover intention, and organizational commitment, which negatively impacts the performance of an organization (Lee, 2022). Since perceived discrimination is a barrier to employee morale, organizations that fail to pay sufficient attention to this issue may not be able to fully leverage the knowledge and experience of their employees (Lee, 2022).
