{"id":12094,"date":"2025-08-29T18:22:33","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T18:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/?p=12094"},"modified":"2025-08-29T18:34:32","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T18:34:32","slug":"how-do-americans-define-discrimination-well-its-complicated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/2025\/08\/29\/how-do-americans-define-discrimination-well-its-complicated\/","title":{"rendered":"How do Americans Define Discrimination? Well\u2026 It\u2019s Complicated"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='citation'>\n    <span class='authors'>Lauren Valentino and Evangeline Warren, <\/span><span class='link'><a href=\"https:\/\/www.journals.uchicago.edu\/doi\/10.1086\/733194\">&ldquo;Cultural Heterogeneity in Americans\u2019 Definitions of Racism, Sexism, and Classism: Results from a Mixed-Methods Study,&rdquo; <em>American Journal of Sociology<\/em>,<\/a><\/span><span class='year'> 2025<\/span><\/div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/files\/2025\/08\/wasd.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"728\" height=\"466\" src=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/files\/2025\/08\/wasd.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/files\/2025\/08\/wasd.png 728w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/files\/2025\/08\/wasd-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/files\/2025\/08\/wasd-600x384.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>An array of colors arranged in a shape of a thought bubble. Photo by author, <a href=\"https:\/\/cla.umn.edu\/about\/directory\/profile\/wald0268\">Jordyn Wald<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How do Americans define discrimination? <a href=\"https:\/\/laurenvalentinoorg.wordpress.com\/\">Lauren Valentino<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.evangelinewarren.com\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.evangelinewarren.com\/\">Evangeline Warren<\/a> reveal that it&#8217;s not as clear-cut as we might expect. Through interviews and a nationally representative survey, they found that Americans don\u2019t exactly share the same ideas on what \u201ccounts\u201d as discrimination\u2014much less racism, sexism, or classism\u2014and these differences aren&#8217;t random.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Valentino and Warren, Americans view discrimination through different lenses, depending on whether they\u2019re thinking about racism, sexism, or classism. These lenses guided respondents in deciding whether an act qualified as discrimination:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Intentionality: <\/strong>Some participants believe that discrimination requires a clear intent to harm. If an act was unintentional, they didn\u2019t view it as discrimination.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unequal treatment or outcomes: <\/strong>Some participants felt that discrimination only occurs when someone is directly targeted and treated unequally. Others saw it through unequal outcomes\u2014where past barriers still limit <em>opportunities<\/em> for certain <em>groups<\/em> today, regardless of intent.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Power imbalances: <\/strong>Some participants viewed discrimination as tied to <em>structural<\/em> power imbalances. This means that certain groups have held more power over time, making discrimination a persistent issue rather than isolated incidents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When it came to types of discrimination, most participants thought <strong>racism<\/strong> required intentional actions and targeted <em>unequal treatment<\/em>. In contrast, <strong>sexism<\/strong> and <strong>classism<\/strong> were more often seen as <em>unintentional<\/em> or rooted in <em>unequal outcomes<\/em>. While all three forms of discrimination were connected to systemic power imbalances, participants linked racism and sexism more closely to <em>historical dynamics<\/em>, whereas classism was seen as a more <em>contemporary<\/em>, pervasive issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><div class=\"pull-this-show\" id=\"pull-this-show-12094-ex2\" style=\"display:none;\"><\/div>Demographics also determined different definitions. Younger participants and Democrats, for example, were more likely to define discrimination in terms of unequal outcomes, regardless of intent, whereas Republicans and older respondents often emphasized intentionality.<span class=\"pull-this-mark\" id=\"pull-this-mark-12094-ex2\" style=\"display:none;\">Younger participants and Democrats, for example, were more likely to define discrimination in terms of unequal outcomes, regardless of intent, whereas Republicans and older respondents often emphasized intentionality.<\/span> Women and nonbinary individuals focused on power imbalances and structural inequalities, while men tended to view discrimination as isolated instances of unequal treatment. Black and Hispanic respondents highlighted disparities in outcomes, whereas white participants were more concerned with intent. Additionally, those with lower incomes were more likely to interpret discrimination through the lens of power imbalances compared to wealthier individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end, what \u201ccounts\u201d as discrimination depends on who you ask and what type of discrimination is under question\u2014but one thing\u2019s clear: Americans aren\u2019t just discussing definitions; they\u2019re grappling with varied and dynamic perspectives on power, fairness, and inequality.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lauren Valentino and Evangeline Warren, &ldquo;Cultural Heterogeneity in Americans\u2019 Definitions of Racism, Sexism, and Classism: Results from a Mixed-Methods Study,&rdquo; American Journal of Sociology, 2025 An array of colors arranged in a shape of a thought bubble. Photo by author, Jordyn Wald. How do Americans define discrimination? Lauren Valentino and Evangeline Warren reveal that it&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2217,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,55,85,14],"tags":[140404,140485,140506,140504,140505,139078,140521,139111,140466,140446,140400,140391,140438,140496,140419,140519,110434,4455,140401,140441,140360,140481,140471,140402,140525,140367,140520,140425,140395,140478,140477,140479,140454,140464,140528,140437,140511,140487,140465,140473,140455,140382,140352,140526,140489,140462,140231,140397,140350,140414,140424,139123,140403,140429,140527,140475,140486,140396,140474,140380,140488,140463,140345,140374,470,140432,140436,140490,140423,140418,140460,140447,140348,140385,140413,140523,140390,140435,140495,138188,138665,140518,140444,140499,138947,140406,138626,140448,140480,140410,140362,140359,42160,140346,140453,140469,140078,140443,140378,2889,140363,140515,140427,140356,140458,140357,140494,140381,140491,140407,778,140368,140349,140461,140522,140351,140440,140508,140452,140369,140347,140510,140456,140476,140431,140449,140377,140417,140411,140457,140445,140501,140383,140364,140366,140379,140384,140492,140500,140484,139301,140405,95755,140439,140167,140516,140498,140409,693,140470,140428,140370,140430,140371,140389,140497,140517,140434,140420,140442,140422,82,140375,140416,1528,140433,140365,140393,140394,140392,140483,3921,23082,26524,140361,140524,138029,140208,19021,140467,140509,138303,139673,140468,140373,140502,140503,139627,140372,140408,140482,139640,140386,140459,139257,20791,140399,140472,140507,140388,137881,140412,140358,140387,140415,140426,140354,140493,140355,140353,140421,3694,140513,140398,140512,140514,140450,140451,21980,140376],"class_list":["post-12094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-gender","category-politics","category-race","tag-ajs-2025","tag-american-definitions","tag-american-definitions-of-classism","tag-american-definitions-of-racism","tag-american-definitions-of-sexism","tag-american-journal-of-sociology","tag-american-perspectives","tag-american-sociology","tag-americans-on-discrimination","tag-black-respondents","tag-boundary-work","tag-class-and-inequality","tag-class-attitudes","tag-class-definitions","tag-class-gaps","tag-class-relations","tag-classism","tag-collective-memory","tag-competing-views","tag-conservative-views-of-discrimination","tag-contemporary-classism","tag-contemporary-inequality","tag-contested-categories","tag-contested-concepts","tag-contested-concepts-in-sociology","tag-contested-definitions","tag-contested-discrimination","tag-contested-justice","tag-contested-meaning","tag-contested-meaning-of-classism","tag-contested-meaning-of-racism","tag-contested-meaning-of-sexism","tag-contested-moral-meanings","tag-contested-norms","tag-contested-social-boundaries","tag-contested-social-issues","tag-contested-terrain","tag-contested-understandings","tag-contested-values","tag-cultural-authority","tag-cultural-cleavages","tag-cultural-conflict","tag-cultural-definitions","tag-cultural-definitions-of-inequality","tag-cultural-differences","tag-cultural-disputes","tag-cultural-diversity","tag-cultural-frameworks","tag-cultural-heterogeneity","tag-cultural-interpretation","tag-cultural-narratives","tag-cultural-politics","tag-cultural-sociology","tag-cultural-sociology-of-discrimination","tag-definitional-boundaries","tag-definitional-complexity","tag-definitional-differences","tag-definitional-disputes","tag-definitional-pluralism","tag-definitional-politics","tag-definitional-struggles","tag-definitional-variation","tag-definitions-of-discrimination","tag-democratic-views","tag-discrimination","tag-discrimination-debates","tag-diverse-definitions","tag-diverse-frameworks","tag-educational-barriers","tag-educational-discrimination","tag-equity-debates","tag-ethnic-identity-and-definitions","tag-evangeline-warren","tag-everyday-discrimination","tag-fairness-debates","tag-fairness-in-america","tag-gender-and-inequality","tag-gender-attitudes","tag-gender-definitions","tag-gender-gaps","tag-gender-pay-gap","tag-gender-relations","tag-generational-attitudes","tag-generational-cleavages","tag-generational-differences","tag-generational-divide","tag-healthcare-discrimination","tag-hispanic-respondents","tag-historical-inequality","tag-historical-power","tag-historical-racism","tag-historical-sexism","tag-housing-discrimination","tag-how-americans-define-discrimination","tag-identity-and-discrimination","tag-identity-and-fairness","tag-identity-politics","tag-income-and-definitions","tag-income-differences","tag-income-inequality","tag-inequality-in-america","tag-inequality-research","tag-intent-versus-outcome","tag-intent-vs-impact","tag-intent-based-definitions","tag-intentional-discrimination","tag-intentionality-lens","tag-interpretive-differences","tag-interpretive-heterogeneity","tag-intersectional-discrimination","tag-intersectionality","tag-int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