.png){kind=icon}
Race and Ethnic Relations
Click on each question to check your answer.
1. What factors determine the “success” of immigrants today?
Answer: The three important determinants of immigrant success are the province and the city to which they immigrate, the generation of immigrants to which they belong, and their racial background. According to structural theory, people who are most similar to the host society will have the easiest time accelerating through the labour market.
2. What are some key findings of the studies done by Frances Henry (1985/1999) and Oreopolous etc. regarding employers’ discrimination in Canada?
Answer: Frances Henry concluded that white applicants have three job prospects for every one that black applicants have. Orepoulous discovered that applicants with English names had a 15.8 per cent call-back rate—much higher than the rate for people with non-English names, and the same amount of experience. The call-back rate fell even more when the non-English named candidate listed work experience outside of Canada.
3. What factors make Indigenous people and black people more vulnerable to criminal victimizations in Canada and the US?
Answer: Their disadvantaged position and poverty increase the probability of law-breaking in the country. Prejudice and discrimination are expressed by law-protecting agency officials who increase the likelihood of arrest, convictions and imprisonment. Furthermore, bail and sentencing stages are determined by ethnic factors. A black or Indigenous person is more likely to not receive bail and be forced to serve longer sentences. Street gangs are often racialized, and police officers will treat gang members differently depending on their ethnicity.
4. What are the main sources of racism-related stress identified by researchers?
Answer: Racism-related life events such as police harassments or discrimination; frequent reminders of one’s subordinate status in society and trans-generational transmission of historical experience all contribute to racism-related stress. This stress can lead to increased chances of psychiatric conditions and addictions, such as smoking.
5. What specific factors constitute the constructionist views on race?
Answer: Racism constitutes a complex, and politically laden, social construction. Researchers should be cautious against reproducing racial inequalities in their research on race. This social construction has real-world implications on the judicial system (increased incarceration), health problems (increased chances of addiction) and income inequality (increased chances of low-income work).