Running Head: PERSONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL DISCRIMINATION

Personal and Institutional Discrimination

Tori Rolston
SW 3110
Professor Harrison
Wayne State University

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Discrimination and prejudice are issues that many individuals are forced to face on a
daily basis. These issues come in many different forms and can have significant effects on
various groups of people. Individuals are often judged and treated differently based on skin color,
race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, as well as numerous
other reasons. Individuals who are perceived as different for these various reasons often times do
not receive the same opportunities or treatment as those who are perceived as being the least
different than the majority group(s). I am fortunate enough to be part of the less oppressed
majority Caucasian group; however, I am a part of a minority in that I am a woman and I am still
considered an adolescent, which can also lead to discrimination and prejudice.
Being that I am Caucasian, I have not faced a significant deal of discrimination
throughout my life thus far. I do anticipate that as a woman I may encounter more cases of
discrimination as I become older and begin my professional career. While I have not yet been
faced with many cases of discrimination, there is one case in particular that comes to mind when
I consider instances of discrimination that I have encountered thus far in my life.
I began working in 2009 at the age of 16. I was very excited to have my first job, and
receiving any paycheck was better than what I had previously been receivingnothing. Due to
my excitement of having a paying job and a regular income, I did not consider until recently how
I was cheated of money that I rightfully deserved during this employment. Being that I was
under 18 during this time my employer did not have to provide me with the adult minimum wage
rate, but rather could pay me less as I was a minor, and the youth minimum wage was lower. My
employer did provide me with a higher wage than they were required to provide for minors;
however, it still was not as high as the wages that my adult counterparts were receiving. This
form of discrimination is often referred to as ageism. Ageism typically affects those who are
members of a younger age group, such as I was when I began this work, as well as those who

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are considered a part of the senior citizen age group. While this discrimination did not have a
significant impact on me at the time as cases of discrimination often do, it is still discrimination
and could have a significant impact on the lives of the many adolescents who continue to face
this treatment. It is unfair to pay adolescents less than their counterparts who are performing the
same tasks simply because they are of a younger age. Cases of discrimination similar to and
often times worse than this one continue to happen on a daily basis, often without
acknowledgment to the seriousness of the problem and its resulting consequences.
While I disagree with the act of discriminating against others and holding prejudices, I,
unfortunately, am guilty of acting in such a manner. I have found that I hold prejudices against
certain groups of individuals and often times judge people based solely on their appearance. This
act of judging individuals based on their appearance has become most evident to me through my
current work experience. I currently work part time as a server at a local restaurant. Through this
employment I have found that I am quick to judge people and hold prejudices against certain
groups of individuals. These prejudices typically pertain to how difficult I believe a table will be,
or how good or bad of a tip I believe they will leave. I typically discriminate against the elderly,
teenagers and younger adolescents, different races, and those who appear to me that they may be
from a lower class based on how they are dressed or how they present themselves. I hold
prejudices against these groups by believing that they will be impatient, demanding, rude, and/or
incredibly difficult for me to serve. I often times anticipate that these individuals will expect me
to be 100 percent focused on them as though they are the only table in the restaurant and I have
nothing else to do besides provide that one table with everything they could possibly want. I
typically find that these are also the individuals who tend to not tip me, or leave significantly
small tips, if they do leave something. I am ashamed to admit that I discriminate against these
groups in such a manner and hold these prejudices. Unfortunately, I have allowed a small

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collection of individuals to alter my view on these groups collectively and I now tend to
stereotype individuals based on the few bad experiences that I have had. This is an awful
tendency and through writing this paper I have been forced to realize that I take part in such
discrimination. Through the experience of writing this paper, and acknowledging that I take part
in this discrimination, I have been motivated to stop acting in such a manner. I am embarrassed
that I have taken part in the discrimination of individuals based solely on their appearance, and I
will now be making every effort possible to stop myself from continuing to act in this manner.
Institutional discrimination is also a large problem, one that can be found in many
different institutional settings, including the field of social work. This type of discrimination can
occur in various forms. For the purpose of this discussion I would like to focus on how
institutional discrimination occurs in domestic violence agencies. In many of these agencies,
there is a disparity in the type of populations being served. Most domestic violence agencies
target women and are focused on helping women who are being abused, or are faced with violent
situations. It could be argued that these agencies are taking part in institutional discrimination as
many of them focus solely on helping women, and do not recruit in and offer help to men who
may be victims of violence or abuse as well. While the population of men facing abuse is not as
large as that of women facing abuse, there are still men who are victims of violence, and they too
should have agencies that are focused on helping them deal with this issue, just as women do.
Discrimination continues to be a profound problem that affects many individuals on a
daily basis. Institutional discrimination significantly affects individuals as well, commonly
shaping what types of assistance they receive, how much money they earn, and what types of
positions they are hired into for employment. These are just a few examples of how
discrimination can affect those facing it. These examples do not even begin to emphasize the
seriousness of discrimination or the true impact that it can have on individuals. I feel that this

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assignment allowed me to look at discrimination in a new light and provided me with further
motivation to help eliminate this oppression, as no one deserves to be treated unfairly just
because they are perceived to be a bit different than what some consider the average person.