Statistical Discrimination

Statistical discrimination occurs when employers or decision-makers use group averages or stereotypes to make judgments about individuals, instead of assessing each person’s unique qualities. For example, if an employer assumes someone from a certain group is less experienced based on statistical data, they might unfairly overlook qualified candidates from that group. This often results from relying on societal or group-level data as a shortcut for decision-making, which can perpetuate unfair biases and reinforce inequalities, even when individuals may not fit the general pattern.