Everyone Is Different : Why Stereotype?

The planet is made up of all sorts of people and cultures, so it seems crazy that people would even think about discriminating against each other for these differences instead of celebrating them. This article discusses the types of discrimination and how they occur.


The population of the UK is diverse. People are different and varied in many ways. Consider all the people you meet on a daily basis and the differences between them in terms of:

• How they look
• How they behave
• What they wear
• What they believe in
• How old they are
• Which sex they are
• Whether they are able bodied

There are six main strands to diversity which are recognized under current legislation. This is the kind of information the government collects each time they carry out a census. The results are analysed and used to provide a picture of the population of the UK. The latest results show that the UK is becoming increasingly diverse as time goes by. They six main strands are:

1) Age
2) Race
3) Gender
4) Disability
5) Sexual Orientation
6) Religion or Belief

However there are also many other ways in which people are different, such as:

• Which social class group they belong to
• Their background
• The level of wealth or poverty they experience
• Whether they are part of a family
• Where they live
• Their level of education
• What they wear
• Whether they work or not
• What they believe in
• Their accents or language they speak
• Their views and values
• Any illness or health problems they suffer from
• Any disfigurement they have
• Their taste in music and food
• Their hobbies and interests
And many more…

People are all different and varied. Often we choose friends who have similar characteristics to ourselves. There is usually something about them that we can relate to which gives us a bond with them. Generally speaking we tend to like people who are like us. Having a diverse society makes the UK a rich and fascinating country. A diverse society embraces new ideas. People can learn from each other about different cultures and by having relationships with diverse people we can increase our understanding and respect for a greater variety of people.

However, it is often the case that people place labels on other people that places them in a certain category. We often make a judgement about someone based on one single characteristic. For example, someone in cruffy jeans can be labelled as ‘poor’, or a male wearing an earing can be labelled as ‘gay’. Often these labels are incorrect as they are based on limited information. Giving people labels involves pre-judging them. Sometimes these labels are incorrect and can cause people to feel upset. It is often said that we make a judgement about someone within the first 3 minutes of meeting them. We decide there and then whether we like them or not and we also make assumptions about what they are like, when we really do not know them at all. We often make assumptions about people too and place labels on them or put them in a certain category because of one factor about them, such as ‘all teenagers are hooligans’. Which is not the case; there are many teenagers who are not hooligans.

Why do people stereotype?

• It makes them feel superior
• It helps them cope with the fact that others are different to them
• It enables people to think they can justify their actions
• To reinforce their own beliefs

Often negative stereotypes are applied to certain groups, which can lead to prejudice and discrimination. Stereotypical views date back many years and are evidence in slavery. Slave owners ‘believed’ themselves to be superior to the slaves and labelled them accordingly, this justified their actions in keeping slaves. Although slavery has now been abolished, many negative stereotypes remain in our society.
Stereotypes come from our beliefs and values, which we acquire as we go on our journey through life. Our beliefs and values can change over time, as we meet new and different people, have new experiences and gain further knowledge.

There are two main types of Discrimination:

Direct Discrimination

This is where a certain group are treated less favourably because of a key characteristic, such as their race, gender or age. For example, job adverts stating ‘young person required’ or ‘mature applicants’ or ‘able bodied person required’ or ‘female waitress’ in the text are evidence of direct discrimination. As the discrimination relates directly to the characteristic.

Indirect Discrimination

This is where a rule or condition is applied which significantly disadvantages one particular group. For example, a job advert stating over 10 years experience required would significantly disadvantage younger applicants as they would have not had time to acquire 10 years experience for a role, or advertising for applicants over 5ft 8inches tall, would significantly disadvantage women as more males are able to fulfil this requirement than females.

This article has been put together by the distance learning organisation Start Learning who are experts in home study.

If you want to find out more about Equality and Diversity or many other distance learning courses please browse their website: Start Learning

Kerrana McAvoy
Academic Director – Start Learning
Start Learning

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