key term - Taste-Based Discrimination

Definition

Taste-based discrimination refers to the prejudiced treatment of individuals or groups based on personal preferences, biases, or dislikes, rather than objective qualifications or merit. It is a form of employment discrimination that occurs when employers make hiring, firing, or promotion decisions driven by their own subjective tastes or stereotypes about a person's race, gender, or other protected characteristics.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Taste-based discrimination is distinct from statistical discrimination, which is based on generalizations about a group rather than personal preferences.
2. Employers engaging in taste-based discrimination may favor candidates that 'fit in' with the company culture or management team, rather than those best qualified for the role.
3. Taste-based discrimination can manifest in hiring, promotion, compensation, and other employment decisions, and is illegal under federal anti-discrimination laws.
4. Implicit biases, which are unconscious stereotypes, can contribute to taste-based discrimination even when an employer believes they are making objective decisions.
5. Reducing taste-based discrimination requires employers to implement structured, objective hiring and promotion processes that minimize the influence of personal biases.

Review Questions

• Explain how taste-based discrimination differs from statistical discrimination in the context of employment decisions.
  • Taste-based discrimination is based on an employer's personal preferences, biases, or dislikes about a candidate's race, gender, or other protected characteristics, rather than objective qualifications or merit. In contrast, statistical discrimination involves making employment decisions based on generalizations or assumptions about the average characteristics of a particular group, rather than an individual's actual qualifications. While both forms of discrimination are problematic, taste-based discrimination is more explicitly driven by the employer's subjective feelings and prejudices.
• Describe how implicit biases can contribute to taste-based discrimination in the workplace, even when an employer believes they are making objective decisions.
  • Implicit biases are unconscious stereotypes and associations that can influence our perceptions and decision-making without our explicit awareness or intent. In the context of employment, an employer may have implicit biases about certain races, genders, or other protected characteristics that lead them to favor candidates that 'fit in' with the existing company culture or management team, rather than those who are best qualified for the role. Even if the employer believes they are making objective, merit-based decisions, their implicit biases can still result in taste-based discrimination that disadvantages qualified candidates from underrepresented groups.
• Evaluate the strategies employers can implement to reduce taste-based discrimination and promote more equitable and inclusive hiring and promotion practices.
  • To address taste-based discrimination, employers should implement structured, objective hiring and promotion processes that minimize the influence of personal biases and preferences. This may include standardized job descriptions, skills assessments, and interview protocols, as well as diversity and inclusion training to raise awareness of implicit biases. Employers should also review their compensation and advancement practices to ensure they are based on merit rather than subjective factors. Additionally, expanding recruitment efforts to reach a more diverse pool of candidates and implementing accountability measures, such as diversity hiring goals, can help counteract the effects of taste-based discrimination in the workplace.

Related terms

Statistical Discrimination:

A form of discrimination based on generalizations or assumptions about a group's average characteristics, rather than an individual's qualifications.

Implicit Bias:

Unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that influence our actions and decisions without our explicit awareness or intentional control.

Disparate Treatment: Intentional discrimination where an individual is treated differently and less favorably than others because of their protected characteristics.