Discrimination in the Workplace…

This is a continuation of my Education Discrepancy post…

Now that we know that Black youth are just as likely to obtain a high school diploma as other youth and, adversely, just as likely not to complete high school.  The next step is to look at the percentages of those youth not in education, employment or training (NEET) based on their level of education.

The next two charts, Chart 4A for men and Chart 4B for women from the same 2016 Census analysis as my Education Discrepancy post, show that black youth are less likely to be integrated into education, employment or training than their non-black counterparts with the same level of education.  The only exception to this is that university-educated black men have the same NEET percentage as other men.  Therefore, a black youth must reach one of the highest levels of education before they will be treated on equal footing within education and the workforce.

However, the discrimination does not stop once a Black Canadian or American has been able to enter the workforce.  Their level of education obtained and place within organizational hierarchy achieved by a Black Canadian or American has an effect on what type of discrimination they may experience.  There are three types of discrimination within an employment structure: Individual, Organizational and Structural (see Table 1 from Getting In, Getting Hired, Getting Sideways Looks: Organizational Hierarchy and Perceptions of Racial Discrimination).

As previously mentioned, the level of discrimination perceived by Black Individuals depends on their level of education and “position in an organizational hierarchy” (Wingfield & Chavez, 2020, p. 33) (see Table 4 from Getting In, Getting Hired, Getting Sideways Looks…).

As outlined in Table 4, the higher a Black Individual has climbed in an organizational hierarchy, the discrimination they receive becomes more subversive.  Regardless of how educated or successful they can become, a Black Canadian or American may still be subjected to Racial Discrimination in the Workplace.

I will be continuing to talk about this subject in future posts with potential solutions or recommendations from experts on this field.  I hope that you find this information helpful and eye-opening.

Stay tuned…