Institutional ethnoracial discrimination and microaggressions among a diverse sample of undergraduates at a minority-serving university: a gendered racism approach
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
ISSN: 2040-7149
Article publication date: 17 December 2021
Issue publication date: 26 April 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Ethnoracial minorities report a variety of discriminatory experiences due to systemic racism. Yet, few studies have examined whether gender and race/ethnicity interact to predict institutional discrimination and racial microaggressions through an intersectional approach.
Design/methodology/approach
A predominantly female (60%), ethnoracial minority (20.8% Black, 31.6% Asian, 30.8% Latina/o, 8.2% White, 6.6% Middle Eastern) sample of 895 undergraduates attending a minority-serving public university in an urban setting completed self-report measures of sociodemographic characteristics, experiences of racial microaggressions and institutional discrimination.
Findings
Significant (p < 0.05) gender × race/ethnicity interaction effects were found in several institutional discrimination domains: Males reported more police/court discrimination overall, but gender differences in police/court discrimination were less pronounced for non-Black vs Black students. While males tended to report more institutional discrimination than females, the reverse was true for the Middle Eastern group: Middle Eastern females reported institutional discrimination in more domains and more discrimination getting hired than their male counterparts. There was a significant race/ethnicity × gender interaction effect for environmental microaggressions: White males reported more environmental microaggressions than White females, but gender differences were not found in the overall sample.
Originality/value
This study is the first to the authors’ knowledge to assess the interactive effects of gender and ethnicity on the type of microaggressions experienced in a diverse sample that includes individuals of Middle Eastern descent. The authors highlight the range of discriminatory events that ethnoracially minoritized undergraduates experience, even at a minority-serving institution.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Support for this project was provided by a grant from the New York State (NYS) Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence at the NYS Psychiatric Institute, NYS Office of Mental Health (Dr. Anglin). Dr. Lui is supported by the National Cancer Institute: Institutional Training Grant, Psychosocial Palliative and Community Research in Cancer (2T32CA009461-36). The authors also thank and acknowledge Carol Fadalla for her contributions in reviewing, editing and proofreading the manuscript.
Citation
Lui, F. and Anglin, D.M. (2022), "Institutional ethnoracial discrimination and microaggressions among a diverse sample of undergraduates at a minority-serving university: a gendered racism approach", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 41 No. 4, pp. 648-672. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-06-2021-0149
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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