Factors Of Racism And Discrimination In Australia

It is a commonly known issue in Australia that as a minority group, the people of Indigenous Australian ethnicity have always been treated, or at least perceived, differently to those of non-Indigenous disposition. This can be applied to different contexts such as social, economic, education, or in relation to this essay – legal contexts. Generally, Indigenous Australians face issues such as less opportunity for formal education, less access to sufficient income, more health issues, and higher rates of imprisonment (Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service

For the last 200 years Indigenous people have been victims of discrimination, prejudice and disadvantage. Poor education, poor living conditions and general poverty are still overwhelming issues for a large percentage of our people and we remain ‘as a group, the most poverty stricken sector of the working class’ in Australia (Cuthoys 1983).

Critical factors, highlight why things are as they are and if there are possible alternatives (Germov 2011, p.9). Institutionalized racism is a critical reason for the disadvantages indigenous people face that could be expressed implicitly or explicitly (Larson, 2007). The Indigenous population directly experiencing racism through social and political institutions, is critical and a determining factor for their current state (Larson, 2007). Institutional racism is measured through the socio- economic status of certain minorities (Larson, 2017). Although racism is mostly implicit nowadays, it is still overall evident in the social health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians today (Jackson 1999).The gap between the health statuses of Indigenous Australians as opposed to non-indigenous people are high (Darren, 2007). There is an estimated gap of 17 years between indigenous and non-indigenous life expectancy in Australia (Darren, 2007). This could be due to the absence of equal public health resources in primarily remote areas (Darren, 2007). There is Lack of Access to safe drinking water, effective sewage systems and healthy housing in indigenous neighborhoods (Darren, 2007). This further impacts Indigenous socially as many of them are subjected to poor living standards due to the inability from the government to provide the

Racism in Australia is a big problem and needs to be stopped. Racism refers to anything that has the effect of disadvantaging someone from what their racial background is. It affects peoples well-being along with it not being a good look for our nation to have. Is it really okay for people outside of our country to look and us and think that there are still people that are being racist? Opportunities for people should not be judged on their race. This is not fair. Racism is definitely not okay and should be stopped.

Inequality in health is one of the most controversial topics within Australian Health Care. Inequality in relation to health is defined as being “differences in health status or in the distribution of health determinants between different population groups” (World Health Organization, 2012). Within Australia inequality affects a wide range of population groups; however Indigenous Australians are most widely affected therefore this paper will focus on how inequality has impacted their health. Research shows that Australia’s Indigenous people suffer from a multitude of social and economic inequalities such as inadequate access to nutritious food and health care, being socially and

The poor health position of Indigenous Australians is a contemporary reflection of their historical treatment as Australia’s traditional owners. This treatment has led to Indigenous Australians experiencing social disadvantages, significantly low socio-economic status, dispossession, poverty and powerlessness as a direct result of the institutionalised racism inherent in contemporary Australian society.

Further, low income, unemployment, racism, lack of education further deteriorate their quality-of-life and well-being (Carson, Dunbar, Chenhall, & Bailie, 2007). Therefore “closing the gap” on indigenous disadvantage is crucial for archive equality in life expectancy, health status, education and employment between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians (Black & Richards, 2009).

“Structural inequities produces suffering and death as often as direct violence does, though the damage is slower, more subtle, more common and more difficult to repair” (Indigenous politics, 2005). The overt difference in health between aboriginal and non-aboriginal

After years of oppression and little change, internalized oppression is becoming detrimental to the growth of the next generation. Society leaves little room for change as these groups’ begin the cycle of self-hate and stereotypes that have been placed on them by society. The youth grow up surrounded by a world that is against them from the beginning. Racism, oppression, and discrimination have a negative impact on the health and wellbeing among these people. A study on how racism has affected the Aborigines in Australia, shows that this group experiences a substantial health disadvantage compared to the rest of the Australian population. Aboriginal youth who experience racism are at

The most common forms of discrimination are racial remarks, slurs, being called insulting names and being the butt of hurtful jokes. Studies have found that discrimination, racism and harassment may have significant mental and physical health consequences such as frustration, stress, anxiety, depression, possible nervous breakdown, or high blood pressure that can cause heart attacks. Effects of discrimination physically and

Racism is a plague spreading through the world. Over a million people have died due to lynching, burnings, stabbings, and beatings. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the dangers of racism and discrimination and the pain they cause, while offering solutions to help counteract them.

Racism has been an ongoing social justice issue for decades, and we seem to always fail to make it stop. According to Dummett (as cited in Fernando, 1984), racism is the behaviour and attitude that emerges from our beliefs that certain people are different from us. These differences are mainly based on race, where people come from, physical characteristics, such as colour and hair type or behavioural characteristics, and that people categorized must be treated differently based on their needs, capabilities and rights. Usually there is one dominant and superior group and a few inferior groups (Dummett, as cited in Fernando, 1984). Coates and Morrison (2011) suggests that what we distinguish as real and true may not always be real and that things may not always be as it seems. Coates and Morrison (2011) also states that we live in a racial matrix, where we have this illusion of reality and that differences associated with racial status and hierarchies are perceived as the norm in society and this perception of reality is not easy to get rid of. There are four types of racism; subtle racism, colorism, internalized racism and reverse racism (Nittle, 2016). Racism can be explicit, but it can also be very subtle and covert, which is a huge problem, as most people do not even notice it and they do not realize that it happens on a day-to-day basis (Coates and Morrison, 2011). Racism is not only one problem or concern, as it is brings along a variety of other problems and is compiled

There are links between racism and mental and physical health, decreased productivity, and reduced life expectancy. Not only does racism affect and disturb a person’s legal rights, it also contributes to stress, depression, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and potentially mortality. There was a study, to test the effects of prolonged and continuous racism and how it affects mental health. The study showed that minorities that experienced discrimination happened to have symptoms like depression and anxiety. Also, people who experience racism feel unsafe and may feel like they need to avoid certain places or situations, this also can lead to mental health

Structural inequality occurs when certain organisations and groups such as governments or social networks contain an embedded bias within them, providing advantages for some members and disadvantages for the others. The structural inequality of our society is the outcome of a number of sociohistorical events involving the indigenous population, those events being colonialism, dispossession and racism (Holmes, et al., 2012 p. 81). Structural inequality occurs as a result of a long history of the same values and views being emphasised by influential groups among society. There is a significant distinction between the quality of life between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians as a result of inequality. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2006 estimated life expectancy for indigenous Australians to be approximately 17 years lower than the total population for the period of 1996-2001 (Closing the Gap on Indigenous Disadvantage, 2009), a highly alarming statistic in modern Australia that strives for

Racism not only leads to social problems but it also causes mental illness and violence for example, self-harm, depression and the harming of others. In most cases the victim starts to feel helpless, isolated, depressed and irritated. Experiencing racism can change a victim’s life forever. Nearly half of all Australian residents from a diverse background have experienced racism at some time in their life. WHY? Only because they look different? On a Wednesday afternoon a well-dressed 54 year woman in a mustard jacket unleashed a lecture of abuse at other passengers on a Sydney to Newcastle train, it started because some young kids aged between four and ten didn’t automatically give up their seats