Discrimination and Work

How do individuals perceive and experience discrimination at work? Based on a qualitative survey consisting of 200 interviews and 4 sociological interventions, we distinguish four registers showing that discrimination constitutes a trial that varies according to the social context.

According to a person’s social trajectory and position, the experience of discrimination varies widely, thereby demonstrating the importance of access to equality. Indeed, whereas immigrants are objectively discriminated against, they do not feel this as discriminatory because they do not stake a claim to equality. In contrast, minorities experience the hurdles they face as being  considerable sources of discrimination because they claim equal treatment. The same is true when comparing the working class and the middle class. The feeling of discrimination does not necessarily correspond to the nature of the trial one undergoes because the more people identify with society and participate in it, the greater and more unfair seems the discrimination.

According to the type of labor market, people feel more or less exposed to discrimination. In open markets such as the audio-visual sector, merit and talent are normally the only criterion. In recent years, this market has become much more accessible to visible minorities (actors, directors etc), despite their feeling a strong sense of discrimination. For each failure can be interpreted as the result of discrimination since it concerns the qualities of the person without the criteria for selection being completely clear. On the other hand, the segmented or closed markets, such as the ethnic business model, appear more protective. While they are objectively segregated, the "racial" organization of labor relations maintains more or less the feeling of discrimination.

It is through these situations that we will analyze the models of integration and the role that jobs play in t