ABSTRACT
Perceptions of discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation are described separately, and then comparisons are made across groups. This chapter describes some of the research on children's and adolescents' perceptions of discrimination. As considerable research shows, despite their conservative standard, children by middle childhood commonly perceive peer discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity, immigration status, religion, gender, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Children and adolescents from a wide range of ethnic groups and contexts have been shown to perceive peer discrimination on the basis of their ethnicity, immigration status, or religion. Perceptions of peer ethnic discrimination differ based on the ethnicity and gender of the target child. In general, ethnic minority children typically perceive more ethnic discrimination than ethnic majority children. In addition to ethnic discrimination, children and adolescents also perceive gender discrimination from their peers. The most frequently reported form of peer gender discrimination by adolescents is sexual harassment.
