Discrimination in this context refers to the arbitrary denial of rights, privileges, and opportunities to members of these groups. Discrimination is defined as adverse, unequal treatment based on a protected characteristic.In general race is defined as a person's ancestory or ethnic background. It is an active approach to recruiting, hiring, and promoting qualified candidates based on merit while eliminating the artificial barriers to employment to all. Access study documents, get answers to your study questions, and connect with real tutors for SOC 1 : Sociology 1 at Riverside City College. Discrimination is the disparate (i.e. Different) or adverse (i.e. Discrimination and Harassment are expressly prohibited at the University of California Riverside. It is the policy of the University of California Riverside not to engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person employed or seeking employment. I assume that you use the term in a sociological context.