Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Harris, and I'm the person who's going to be guiding you through today's lesson.

The lesson title today is "What is discrimination and prejudice," and it's part of a larger series of lessons called "Are people treated equally in UK society?

" By the end of today's lesson, you're going to be able to say I can explain prejudice and discrimination, understand their differences, and give examples of each.

Some of this content might be new to you, some of it might be challenging, but I'm going to guide us all the way through it and we'll tackle it together.

Let's start with the keywords.

I'm going to see the keyword, you're going to repeat it back, and then I will go through the definition with you.

Stereotype.

And that's a simplified view of a group of people, and stereotypes can be positive or negative.

Prejudice.

That's when a person develops negative attitudes or feelings about a person or group before getting to know them, often based on the stereotypes they hold.

Discrimination.

And that's treating people unfairly or differently because of things like their race or where they come from, instead of treating everyone equally.

As part of today's lesson, it's really important that we set some ground rules because of the content we're going to be discussing, and so here are some of the Oak Academy pupils to help us with this.

Laura is saying, "Listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, challenge the statement not the person.

" Andeep says, "Respect privacy.

We can discuss examples, but do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone, including ourselves.

" Jacob says, "No judgment.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged.

" And Izzy says, "Choose your level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose to not answer a question or join discussion, and we're never gonna put anybody on the spot.

" It's time for our first learning cycle.

How are stereotypes and prejudice linked?

Equal opportunities are about making sure that every individual is able to make the most of their lives and the talents that they have.

And it's also the belief that nobody should have any poorer life chances than anybody else just because of where they were born, what they believe, or whether they have a disability, for example.

And Sophia rounds this all up by saying equality and equity both can help with achieving equal opportunities.

Equality means about giving everybody the same rights, opportunities, and resources, and that's shown here on the left hand side of this cartoon, when everybody there has been given the same sized box.

They've been given the same resources to help.

However, equity means giving people what they need to have fair access to opportunities, and that's shown there in the cartoon on the right, where everybody's needs have been considered and the resources have been distributed in order to give everybody fair access to opportunities, and they're now all equally able to see over the fence.

So although both here promote fairness, equality achieves this through treating people the same regardless of the need, whereas equity achieves this through treating people differently depending on what needs they have.

For example, in school, it's really important for Lucas, who uses a powered wheelchair, to have step-free access.

Without step-free access, he's going to be prevented from accessing certain areas of the school, which might limit his independence, his social opportunities, or indeed his education as well.

Lucas getting this support doesn't give him an advantage over anybody else.

It actually just removes his disadvantage due to his disability, so it just makes it fair for him and gives him the same chance of accessing everything fully, just like everybody else does.

Diversity is the word that refers to the differences between people, such as their race, their culture, religion, and abilities, and when we embrace equal opportunities and diversity together, this aims then to give everybody a fair chance to succeed, no matter where they come from or what their beliefs are.

It aims to create a space where everyone can show their talents and reach their potential.

It aims to bring different ideas and perspectives, and it also aims to bring a community, and to build that community where everybody feels included and supported together.

Our first check for understanding, then.

I would like you to add two words to complete this sentence.

(hums) are about making sure every individual is able to make the most of their lives and their talents.

Which two words can complete this sentence?

Take a few seconds to think about it and then we'll come back and look at the answer together.

Okay, so the two words to complete this sentence are equal opportunities.

Yes, equal opportunities are about making sure every individual is able to make the most of their lives and talents.

Well done if you've got that one.

Let's move on to stereotypes, then.

Now, a stereotype is a really simplified idea or belief about a person based on a very limited aspect of their identity, rather than taking into account the whole person.

So it's when people really focus in on one part of that person rather than the whole person.

So people might develop stereotypes and beliefs about others based on lots of different things, for example, their clothes, their appearance, what phone they own, which sports team they support, their accent, where they live, their sexuality, their religion, their age, their race, their disability.

So lots and lots of ways that people develop stereotypes based on just one very limited part of that person's identity.

Sophia here has got an example of this.

She says, "My local sport shop had a weekend job advertised.

I went in to ask about it, making sure that I dressed really nicely to make a good impression.

The manager said there wasn't much point applying.

They needed a boy to carry heavy stock and who knows a lot about sport.

He said I looked like I was more into fashion, so to check with a clothes shop down the street.

" Now here in this example, the manager has made a series of presumptions about Sophia and her capabilities.

So the manager looked at Sophia and saw that she was female, that she was young, and that she was fashionably dressed, and the manager then assumed, they made presumptions about her that she was not strong enough to carry heavy stock and had no knowledge of sport and that her interests probably lied with fashion, for example.

So the manager here has shown that they hold stereotypes about young, fashionably dressed females.

Now stereotypes, they don't always appear negative.

For example, you might get people saying that of a particular race or a particular culture or age, et cetera, they might be really good at caring and looking after people.

They might be always organized and efficient or friendly and funny.

Maybe they're naturally good at sport, or they say they're wise and full of life experience, or that they always work harder at school.

And yes, they sound like compliments, don't they?

When it's a positive thing like that.

But however, it it isn't, because it still makes assumptions about any individual in that group all being the same, rather than considering that person as an individual.

So another check for understanding, then.

Positive stereotypes are not a bad thing.

They're compliments.

Is that true or false?

Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so positive stereotypes are not a bad thing.

They are compliments.

That is false, but why is it false?

Take a few more seconds.

Okay, so this is false because while stereotypes that seem positive sound like compliments, it's still making assumptions about individuals based on a group that they belong to rather than considering them as an individual and all the things that make them unique.

Well done if you got that one.

Now let's move on to prejudice.

So prejudice is then when people develop negative attitudes or feelings about a person or a group before getting to know them, and often this comes from the stereotypes that they hold.

So with prejudice, people not only have preconceived ideas, so they've made assumptions about somebody based on a group they belong to, but they've now actually developed negative feelings about them as a result.

Now these beliefs and the attitudes are often based on things that actually might not be true about the person themselves and it ignores most of the aspects of that person, their character, their abilities, because it's all based on one limited aspect rather than them as a person.

So it might not even be true.

In Sophia's situation, for example, the manager made assumptions about her suitability for a job based only on her appearance, her gender, and her age, and he believed these characteristics made her less capable even though he didn't know anything else about her.

He then had formed negative opinions about her abilities before getting to know who she was or what she could do, and so instead of judging her as an individual person, he let his stereotypes influence his feelings, and that is an example of prejudice.

By being prejudiced, the manager had these negative assumptions about Sophia and therefore made a judgment of her without finding out that, actually, Sophia also has previous customer service experience and retail experience.

He didn't find out that she's a huge sports fan who follows a wide range of sports and teams, didn't find out that she's actually been accepted to study sports therapy at university, didn't find out that she volunteers as a junior sports coach, that she's played rugby for nine years and is part of a high achieving academy, and actually regularly goes to the gym as well.

So all of that information there, he didn't find out, because all he saw was young, fashionably dressed, and female, and had negative assumptions based on that.

So this manager focused on very limited parts of Sophia's identity and her character, and missed actually what made her perfectly suitable for a role in a sport shop.

So Sophia is in fact more than suitable for this role, but due to the negative stereotypes and the prejudice, she was unfairly discouraged from even applying for the job.

Now both stereotypes and prejudice can have a really negative impact on individuals.

These negative stereotypes and prejudices are really harmful because people then develop these thoughts and feelings towards people based on things that actually might not even be true.

So yes, Sophia was young, fashionably dressed, and female, but that didn't mean that she wasn't strong enough to carry stock and it didn't mean that she didn't know anything about sport, so she's missed out on an opportunity based on negative thoughts and feelings, assumptions about her that weren't even true.

Even where stereotypes seem positive, it still can have a negative impact because it can really place unfair pressure on people to meet unrealistic expectations.

So saying that everybody from this place is good at this, if somebody from that place isn't good at that, well, it puts an unrealistic expectation and pressure on them to feel like they need to be good at that.

It therefore might limit their opportunities and it might just ignore that person's unique talents as the person they are.

So people get reduced down from who they are and what they are as a unique person to just this generalization based on a group that they belong to, and that prevents them from being recognized for who they actually are and what they can actually do.

A quick check for understanding.

Prejudice is when someone feels negatively towards others based on something unkind the person said, the way they treat other people, or aspects of their identity, for example, race, culture, disability, age.

Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so prejudice is when someone feels negatively towards others based on aspects of their identity is C.

Yes, and Sam helps us qualify this further by saying, feeling negatively towards a person based on something they've actually done or they've actually said, that's not prejudice because that's feeling negative about something about that person.

It's not about their identity.

So that's not prejudice, but feeling negatively towards somebody based on their identity, so race or their culture, is prejudice.

And we're onto task A, and the first part of this task is to explain the differences between stereotypes and prejudice, and you're just going to write a short summary about this.

It's a really good idea now to pause the video to give yourself the time to do that and then we'll come back and look at some possible answers.

Okay, let's go through this one together, then.

So your response might look something like this.

Stereotypes are fixed ideas about a group of people based on limited aspects of their identity rather than taking into account the whole person.

They're generalizations that might not be true for everybody in that group.

Stereotypes can be based on things like appearance, culture, or race, and they assume everyone in that group is the same.

In contrast, prejudice involves then making a negative judgment about somebody without knowing them, often based on stereotypes, and prejudice is when people have that negative or unjust attitude or opinion about a person or a group.

Well done if you manage to get the differences between stereotype and prejudice.

The second part of this task is to read these examples and decide do they show a stereotype or a prejudice?

And then you're going to explain why.

So statement A says, "Teenagers are loud and never listen to authority.

" Statement B says, "I don't want to work with that person because they're from a different ethnic background.

" C, "She sounds uneducated because of the way she speaks.

I don't think she'll be good in the debate.

" And D, "Gay men are so creative!

" So decide whether these examples show a stereotype or prejudice, and explain why.

Pause the video to give yourself the time to do that, and then we'll come back and check the possible answers.

Okay, let's go through these answers together, then.

So the first one about the teenagers always being loud and never listening to authority.

So this is a stereotype because it's a general belief about all teenagers.

Yes, some teenagers might be loud and disrespectful, but many are not.

With statement B, the one about not wanting to work with somebody because of their background, that is prejudice, because that's negative feelings towards somebody based only on somebody's background.

C, about making judgements about somebody based on their accent.

That again, that's a negative attitude and feelings towards somebody based only on their accent, assuming their education level, and their ability without any other evidence.

And D, the one saying all gay men are so creative, that is a stereotype, because again, it's making a generalization about every gay man in a way that, yes, sounds like it's going to be positive and sounds like a compliment, but still assumes that every gay man is the same within that group, which just isn't true.

Well done if you've got those ones and understood the differences.

It's time for our second learning cycle now.

What is discrimination?

So in our last learning cycle, we looked at prejudice is when a person develops a negative opinion or a feeling about somebody or a group of people.

Now it is possible to be prejudiced against others without actually anybody else knowing about it, because it's more about what somebody thinks rather than their actions and what they do or say.

Now discrimination is one step further than prejudice, and that's when somebody starts acting upon their prejudices and starts treating others unfairly or unequally because of aspects of their identity.

A simple way to remember the difference between prejudice and discrimination is that prejudice is someone's beliefs and attitudes, and discrimination is what they do and say as a result of their prejudices.

Now, people might be discriminated against in two main ways, and that's directly, so that's when a person is treated less favorably than another because of their protected characteristic, or it could be indirectly, so that's putting rules or arrangements in place that might apply to everybody and seem fair on the surface actually puts those with a protected characteristic at a disadvantage, because it applies to everybody equally.

Let's look at some examples of this, then.

So here we've got Clive, and he's been a victim of direct discrimination.

So Clive, a male employee, he's automatically chosen to move heavy equipment or set up furniture for events, even though it's not part of his job role.

It's just assumed that because he's a man, he's got to be stronger and therefore more suited to physical tasks.

This is discrimination because he's been treated unfairly based on a gender stereotype rather than his actual skills or circumstances.

An example here of indirect discrimination is Izzy's friend, and she says, "My friend's school has introduced a rule that all pupils must read aloud in front of the class as part of English assessment.

My best friend has got a speech impairment and reading aloud makes him really anxious.

They say all pupils having to read aloud is fair, yet it doesn't really feel fair on him.

" So yes, the rule applies to everybody, it's the same for everybody, but it's affecting some pupils more than others because it isn't taking their needs into an account.

And so this is an example of indirect discrimination, because the rule seems fair on the surface but unfairly impacts certain pupils and particularly, Izzy says, due to her friend's disability.

Quick check for understanding, then.

Can you complete the sentence by choosing the correct ending?

So here are the beginnings.

Number one, indirect discrimination is rules for all, but that.

Two, direct discrimination is when a person is treated.

And three, prejudice is a negative (hums).

And then the options to complete those sentences are A, opinion or feeling, B, disadvantage a person or group, or C, less favorably.

Take a few seconds to think and then we'll go through the answer together.

A, so number one, indirect discrimination is rules for all, but that disadvantage a person or group.

Two, direct discrimination is when a person is treated less favorably, and three, prejudice is a negative opinion or feeling.

Well done If you've got those three correct.

Now people who've been discriminated against might also experience two other things, and one of those is a victimization.

When someone is treated badly or fairly because they've complained about discrimination or perhaps they've supported someone else who's complained or stood up against unfair treatment, if they're then treated, that is victimization.

There's also harassment, and harassment is unwanted behavior which you find offensive or might make you feel intimidated or humiliated, and this can happen on its own or it can go alongside other forms of discrimination as well.

And so Ethan here has an example of victimization.

So Ethan told teachers at school that a classmate was being bullied after months of unkind treatment, and the bullies then face the consequences of their actions.

But Ethan says, "Since then, a group has turned on me, saying I shouldn't have reported it, and that what the others did to our classmate was just a joke, and now some people don't talk to me and others have even started to spread rumors about me.

" So Ethan here is experiencing victimization because he's being treated badly in standing up against discrimination and supporting somebody else.

Jacob has an example of harassment here.

So Jacob plays in a sports team, and one of his teammates is regularly mocked and called names because of his religious beliefs.

Other players have made jokes about him and laughed at his clothing, and even after being asked to stop, the behavior has continued and makes Jacob's friend feel embarrassed, isolated, and unsafe.

And this here is harassment because the person, his teammate is being targeted repeatedly in a way that's offensive, it's upsetting, it's intimidating, and it's based on his protected characteristic.

In this case, it's the teammate's religion.

Another check for understanding, then.

So this statement below is this describing victimization or harassment?

When someone is treated badly or unfairly because they've complained about discrimination or supported someone else who stood up against unfair treatment.

Is it victimization or harassment?

Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, this statement is describing victimization.

Well done if you've got that one.

Now in England, Scotland, and Wales, there is one law which protects people from discrimination in all of its different forms, and that's called the Equality Act of 2010.

The Equality Act of 2010 isn't applicable in Northern Ireland.

There it works slightly differently, where instead of one law encompassing all the anti-discrimination laws, it's over multiple pieces of legislation, over lots of different laws.

Now the Equality Act 2010, that covers discrimination in workplaces and public services like the NHS or local councils, and it can cover shops and businesses and transport and clubs and associations as well, so across the entirety of society, and the main aim of this is to create a more inclusive and fair society by promoting equality and then preventing prejudice and discrimination in places, workplaces, education, society as a whole, because everybody in the UK has at least one protected characteristic.

So it's a law that protects everybody.

A quick check for understanding, then.

The Equality Act 2010 does not apply to which nation of the UK?

Is it A, England, B, Northern Ireland, C, Scotland, or D, Wales?

Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so the nation it doesn't apply to is Northern Ireland, and Sam reminds us that anti-discrimination laws in Northern Ireland are across multiple pieces of legislation.

Well done if you've got that one.

We're on to task B now.

So with this, you're going to read the two case studies.

When you've done that, you're going to choose one of them and then write a paragraph explaining which types of discrimination are present.

So the first one is this.

Jasmine is a year 11 pupil and is of Black heritage.

She has recently been in trouble at school, because her hairstyle has been deemed non-compliant with the uniform policy.

It states that hair must be of reasonable size and length, but does not define what is reasonable.

Jasmine wears her natural Afro hair in a way that is clean, tidy, and appropriate for a school setting, but the school claims it is against the rules.

When her mum contacted school to get clarification, they said she was aggressive and was barred from school.

Jasmine was told that she must now study from home in the run up to her GCSEs.

Jasmine is now forced to study at home, missing out on teaching and support.

The second case study.

Tom works in a busy marketing office and has a diagnosed neurological condition that affects his speech.

While he communicates clearly, his speech is occasionally slower.

Despite being highly qualified and experienced, Tom is repeatedly overlooked for client-facing tasks and presentations.

When he asks why, his manager says, "Clients want someone who can speak fluently; it's just not the right fit for you.

" In addition, some colleagues begin mocking the way he talks when he's not around and when he's due to lead a meeting, making unkind comments like, "Hope it doesn't take all day.

" Tom feels excluded and humiliated in his workplace.

So choose one of those case studies and write one paragraph explaining which types of discrimination are present.

Pause the video to give yourself the time to do this, and then we'll come back and look at some possible answers together.

Okay, let's go through some possible answers, then.

So your response for case study one might look something like this.

So this case shows two forms of discrimination.

Firstly, the case study shows indirect discrimination, which is when there's a policy or a rule which applies to everybody in the same way, but has a worse effect on some people than others.

Jasmine has been put at a disadvantage by the school's uniform policy and has been treated less favorably than others.

I think that the case also shows victimization.

This is when someone treats you badly because she complain about discrimination.

When Jasmine and her mum tried to complain about the uniform policy, her mum was barred from the school and Jasmine was told to stay home to prepare for her GCSEs.

Your response for case study two might look like this.

Firstly, the case shows direct discrimination when someone is treated worse than others because of a protected characteristics such as a disability.

Tom has a neurological condition that affects his speech.

Even though he communicates clearly and does his job well, he's repeatedly not chosen for client-facing tasks.

This is treating Tom less favorably because of his disability.

Secondly, the case shows harassment.

This is when someone makes you feel humiliated, offended, or degraded because of who you are.

Tom's colleagues, mocking him, make him feel embarrassed and excluded at work.

Really well done if you've managed to pick out those forms of discrimination within those case studies.

Fantastic job.

Let's summarize this lesson then, which is being called "What is discrimination and prejudice?

" Equal opportunities are about making sure every individual is able to make the most of their lives and talents.

A stereotype is a simplified idea or belief about a person based on limited aspects of their identity rather than taking into account the whole person.

People might develop stereotypes about others based on things like race, age, culture, appearance, or accent.

When people develop negative feelings based on their stereotypes, this is called prejudice.

When people start treating others less favorably because of their prejudices, this is discrimination.

Discrimination can be direct or indirect.

People who've been discriminated against may also experience victimization or harassment.

The Equality Act 2010 aims to prevent forms of discrimination in England, Scotland, and Wales.

Well done for sticking with me during the lesson today.

There's been quite a lot of content which has been complex and some of it is quite emotive and some of it you might have experienced or heard about before, so well done for staying with me.

Hope to see you soon.