Structural discrimination is a form ofinstitutional discrimination against individuals of a given protected characteristic, such asrace,gender,caste, which has the effect of restricting their opportunities. It may be eitherintentional or unintentional, and it may involve either public or private institutional policies.[1][2] Such discrimination occurs when these policies have disproportionately negative effects on the opportunities of certainsocial groups.[1][3][4]
Some conceptualizations of structural discrimination focus on past forms of discrimination that have resulted in present-day inequality, while others focus on policies that still exist today and can have disproportionately negative effects onminority groups.[5] One overt past example of structural discrimination wasJim Crow laws in theSouthern United States, which were explicitly aimed at limiting the rights ofblack Americans in education, employment, and other areas of society.[4]
