Discrimination is the disparate (i.e. Different) or adverse (i.e.What is Discrimination? Discrimination means, at a very basic level, the act of separating out singular things or groups of things. It can be both an adjective and a verb. Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. Discrimination happens when an employer treats one employee less favourably than others. To discriminate means to treat those people in some way differently than other people who are not in the same class. Discrimination is the unequal treatment of a person or group based on the social group, class or category to which they belong. National origin discrimination is prohibited under federal and California laws.