Reverse Discrimination

Reverse discrimination is a term referring to discrimination against members of a dominant or majority group or in favor of members of a minority or historically disadvantaged group. Groups may be defined in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, or other factors. This discrimination may seek to redress social inequalities where minority groups have been denied access to the same privileges of the majority group. In such cases it is intended to remove discrimination that minority groups may already face. Reverse discrimination may also be used to highlight the discrimination inherent in affirmative action programs. Reverse Discrimination can be defined as the unfair treatment of members of the majority groups resulting from preferential policies, as in college admissions or employment, intended to remedy earlier discrimination against minorities. Conceptualizing efforts as reverse discrimination began to become popular in the early-mid 1970s, the time period that focused on underrepresentation and affirmative action intended to remedy the effects of past discrimination.

However, the concept of reverse discrimination has two different views: a broad sense and a narrow sense. In a broad sense, it refers to discrimination against Whites or males in employment, education, and any other areas of life. In a narrow sense, reverse discrimination refers to the negative impact Whites or males may experience because of affirmative action policies. The two views are often conflated, which leads to confusion and misinformation.

The law in some countries, such as the UK, draws a distinction between “equality of provision” and “equality of outcome”, recognising that identical treatment may sometimes act to preserve inequality rather than eliminate it. Opponents of this distinction may label it as an example of positive discrimination.