Working with diversity: A geographical analysis of ethno-racial discrimination in Toronto

Abstract

Work is an important location for examining the heterogeneity of contemporary urban societies that are being transformed by migration, aging, and economic restructuring. At work locations, people from different ethnic and racial groups often encounter one another, regardless of whether they live in close proximity. Work is also a frequent site of discrimination, particularly for racial minorities. This study evaluates ethno-racial heterogeneity by documenting the spatial patterns of workplace location for ethno-racial groups in Toronto. We also compare and contrast the degree to which racial minorities experience discrimination at work. Based on our findings that underline a strong association between discrimination, racial minority status, and ethnocultural group identification, we argue that it is important to examine critically the ways in which discrimination persists in racially and ethnically diverse work locations.

Traumatic Experiences, Perceived Discrimination, and Psychological Distress Among Members of Various Socially Marginalized Groups

“…As a result, although their history of traumatic events is likely distressing, these experiences may be more likely to sensitize individuals to the negative effects of subsequent stressors, rather than eliciting a proliferation of further stressors. This said, Blacks are often highly identifiable in terms of their group membership vis-a-vis the White Euro-Caucasian majority, and while integration is certainly more common today than in previous generations, there continue to exist segregated ethnic urban areas (e.g., Ray and Preston, 2015). Study 2 assessed the relations among a history of traumatic events, discrimination perceptions and appraisals, and psychological distress among Black Canadians.…”

Immigrants’ Experiences of Everyday Discrimination in Canada: Unpacking the Contributions of Assimilation, Race, and Early Socialization

“…This same study showed that immigrants in Montreal also reported less racial discrimination than native-born Canadians, but the differences were not statistically significant. Ray and Preston (2015), again using the Ethnic Diversity Survey, found that perceived workplace discrimination was significantly higher for immigrants than native-born Canadians in Toronto but that overall perceived discrimination did not differ by nativity status, ceteris paribus. More recent analysis using the 2009 General Social Survey revealed, however, that perceived discrimination was reported by one in five landed immigrants (Nangia 2013).…”

Contours of urban diversity and coexistence

“…This could reduce the positive impacts of contact. As Ray and Preston argue, however, the adverse effects of these hierarchical relations may be confounded at least partially by repeated, albeit superficial, contacts with diverse strangers that characterize many work locations (Ray & Preston, ).…”