One of the most common types of discrimination that is alleged every year is racial discrimination. This is certainly prohibited, but it does still happen, and workers feel that they’re not being treated fairly based on their race. They may be denied promotions or feel like they don’t even get called in for an interview.
National origin is also a protected class. But how is this different from something like your ethnic background or your race?
It’s more of a geographical definition
These things can certainly be related. People from a specific country or region of the world may be more likely to have physical characteristics or to be part of a certain race. They may feel that they are being discriminated against based on those things, which are inherent factors to them due to where they were born and who their parents were.
However, in the global world that we have today, people can be a part of almost any race, while still coming from the same country. A person from South Africa could have either light or dark skin, for example. Plenty of people who live in the United States were born in other places all over the world, though they are Americans.
Unfortunately, there are still times when discrimination happens. If people know that you’re from a certain country, they might stereotype you in a way that is unfair and that hinders your career. Therefore, this type of discrimination is still illegal, even if it technically doesn’t fall under the umbrella of racial discrimination.
When these types of issues do arise in the workplace, it’s often important for all involved to understand their rights and legal options.