Reverse discrimination

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Part of a series of articles on Discrimination

Major forms Racism Sexism Homophobia Ageism Antisemitism Islamophobia Ableism
Manifestations Slavery · Racial profiling Hate speech · Hate crime Genocide · Ethnocide · Holocaust Ethnic cleansing · Pogrom Intolerance · Xenophobia Religious intolerance/persecution
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Issues Gay marriage Zimbabwe land reform Darfur conflict
Policies Discriminatory Segregation: Racial/Ethnic/Religious/Sexual Apartheid · Isolationism Japanese internment Anti-discrminatory Emancipation · Civil rights Integration · Desegregation Affirmative action · Racial quota Reparations
Law Discriminatory Anti-miscegenation Alien and Sedition Acts Jim Crow laws · Black codes Nuremberg Laws Apartheid laws Anti-discriminatory Equal Rights Amendment Civil Rights Act (List article)
Specific forms Anti-Arabism · Classism Linguicism · Ethnocentrism Nationalism · Triumphalism Economic discrimination
Other topics Eugenics · Racialism Prejudice · Political correctness Reverse discrimination

Reverse discrimination describes discriminatory policies or acts that benefit a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically women and minorities), at the expense of a historically socio-politically dominant group (typically men and majority races). Reverse discrimination is itself a form of discrimination.

Particularly in the U.S., the term is used to imply that under-qualified members of minority groups are being hired and promoted instead of more qualified members of majority groups. [1] [2] [3], [4], [5]

It is worth noting that in particular, racial quotas for collegiate admission were held to be unconstitutional in the United States, although non-quota race preferences are legal.

Many legal cases involving claims of "reverse discrimination" are settled before they go to court. [6]

1 Allegations of Reverse Discrimination
2 Criticism of the term itself
3 Notes
4 Further reading
5 External links

[edit] Allegations of Reverse Discrimination

A more correct definition is: Reverse discrimination: A term used to describe the outcome of a racial or gender quota system where preference is given not on ability but on perceived minority status.

[edit] Criticism of the term itself

The term reverse discrimination has been criticized by advocates of Affirmative Action as casting such policies in a negative light, without due consideration of their aims.

The term is sometimes considered rhetorical, attempting to create a non-existent distinction within the broad problem of discrimination.

[edit] Notes

[edit] Further reading

Fred Pincus, Reverse Discrimination: Dismantling the Myth. Rienner: 2003.
Alice O'Connor, et al., The Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality: Evidence from Four Cities. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1999