Cent Eur J Public Health 2011, 19(1):3-6 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3608

Discrimination and Subjective Well-Being: Protective Influences of Membership in a Discriminated Category

Karel Hnilica

Department of Cultural Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

Background: Research reveals that discrimination has harmful effects on health and quality of life. Among the most frequent types of discrimination pertains gender and age discrimination. Research results show that discriminatory behaviours based on gender afflict predominantly women; age discrimination afflicts mainly older adults. At the same time, it has been found that members of these traditionally discriminated categories often use strategies that mitigate the effects of discrimination. Hypotheses: Discrimination will have detrimental effects on subjective well-being. But its effects will be most harmful for persons who are not members of the traditionally discriminated categories.

Methods: These hypotheses were tested on data from three waves of the European Social Survey that the Czech Republic also participated in. Data were analyzed in a series of multilevel random coefficients regression analyses with respondents nested within states and states nested within years of study.

Results: Both perceived gender discrimination and perceived age discrimination have negative effects on subjective well-being. However, gender discrimination had more harmful effects on the subjective well-being of men than women and age discrimination had the most harmful effects on the subjective well-being of people in their middle ages, not the elderly ones.

Conclusion: Discrimination does not need to have most harmful effects on the quality of life of members of the categories that are discriminated against most often.

Keywords: gender discrimination, age discrimination, subjective well-being, social category

Received: February 4, 2010; Revised: November 26, 2010; Accepted: November 26, 2010; Published: March 1, 2011  Show citation