The 3 differences between discrimination, exclusion and oppression.

The keys to differentiate between the social phenomena of exclusion, oppression and discrimination.

The words discrimination, exclusion and oppression are often heard at times when people are fighting for the acquisition of rights, denouncing abuses by the most powerful and obtaining social justice.

Although these terms are not seen as synonyms, their definitions complement each other in certain aspects. For this reason, we will now take a look at the differences between discrimination, exclusion and social justice. we will see the differences between discrimination, exclusion and oppression..

Main differences between discrimination, exclusion and oppression

The words discrimination, exclusion and oppression are very frequently used in contexts where some kind of struggle is being carried out to acquire rights or to criticize the power and privileges of the wealthier classes. While these three terms are not used interchangeably, they can sometimes lead to some degree of confusion. To what extent is discrimination oppression, and 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, but not before understanding in depth what these three terms mean.

What is discrimination?

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

Although discrimination is usually understood to mean treating a person unfairly because he or she is different, it should be said that discrimination really involves only differential treatment, which may or may not be negative (e.g., positive discrimination).

In most cases, discrimination is usually the result of prejudice.. This prejudice usually involves believing that someone is inferior or dangerous simply because he or she has a characteristic that differentiates him or her from others, implying the possibility that he or she will be treated unfairly. This can lead to rejection and exclusion, two key aspects of discrimination which, 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 are only allowed to perform very specific ones, such as nursing, early childhood education or others in which they carry out the role of caregivers. In addition to this, women receive lower salaries than men. This is a case of gender discrimination, treating women differently from men and to their detriment.

Another form of discrimination is racism.. Believing that people are better or worse according to their race is a classic example of discrimination which, although it has been reduced in the United States today, until not so long ago was the main reason why African-American citizens could not freely use the bathrooms of establishments or sit wherever they wanted on buses.

What is exclusion?

Exclusion is the situation in which an individual or group is segregated, marginalized or separated from others on the basis of a particular characteristic, such as race, religion, nationality, political ideology, disability or other aspects. such as race, religion, nationality, political ideology, disability or other aspects. This exclusion means that certain individuals or groups of people cannot relate to the rest of society or have the same rights.

We say that a person or group of people suffer exclusion when they do not have access to, or have serious difficulties in accessing, employment opportunities. serious difficulties in accessing employment, training, cultural or political opportunities in the society in which they live.. Exclusion can also manifest itself in the form of deprivation of basic services, such as drinking water or electricity, lack of recognition in the health system or lack of social protection.

Excluded groups, not having as many advantages as the rest of society, are prone to poverty, stigmatization and discrimination, lower life expectancy because they do not have access to well-paying jobs or an adequate health care system to cover them. An excluded person cannot fully enjoy his or her citizenship status, nor can he or she enjoy his or her rights.and enjoy his or her rights as a citizen.

Exclusion is deeply rooted in many societies and is nurtured by cultural aspects. In most cases, the exclusion of a certain group of people within a society responds to the obedience to value systems and codes according to which those who do not conform to the idea of the "perfect citizen" or "normal person" must be rejected or set aside, in order to prevent them from contaminating others.

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

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

What is oppression?

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

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

When one group of people has power over others, this creates a profitable situation in which the more powerful group can oppress the less powerful group.whereby the more powerful group can oppress the less powerful group. An example of this is the historical racial discrimination in the U.S., which manifested itself not only in the form of hatred of African-Americans but also in the deprivation of rights that white people did have.

When oppression occurs, people are deprived of opportunity and freedom, and it can affect everyone.and it can affect everyone. That is, it can be the case that an entire society, except for those who govern it, is oppressed, as in the case of 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.

Keys to distinguishing between these concepts

Discrimination involves treating someone differently because of a particular aspect, something that is also shared with exclusion. The difference is that discrimination does not necessarily involve excluding someone, whereas exclusion does involve discrimination.The difference is that discrimination does not necessarily involve excluding someone, whereas exclusion does involve discriminating against someone on the basis of their characteristics.

Discrimination can involve oppression, in the sense that people who feel more powerful within a society and consider those who are different inferior to them may apply coercive techniques and inflict harm on those who do not have power. However, oppression does not always imply discrimination, oppression does not always imply discriminationOppression is the act of depriving people of their rights and freedoms, whether it be to a specific group of people or to a whole society of which they are a part.

Discrimination and exclusion can be done in an "innocent" way. Discrimination implies treating someone on the basis of a characteristic that differentiates him or her from the rest, without the need for malice or malicious intent (e.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 case above.as in the case of special education until recently. Oppression, on the other hand, is intrinsically evil, being done with malice and with the intent to cause harm to the individual(s).