Racial Stereotypes, Prejudices, Discrimination, and American Employers’ Racial Attitudes: A Vicious Circle of Poverty in America

Abstract

Among the many structural factors that perpetuate gender and socioeconomic inequality in the United States, racial discrimination ranks high. The process of social categorization creates stereotypes that give shape to prejudices and discrimination and segregate white Americans from African Americans. African Americans in the US have reported decreased levels of pleasure and fulfillment in life as a result of these racist beliefs and discrimination. Consequently, the white Americans’ negative racial stereotypes are the main source of perpetual racial and social inequalities in American society. Americans have strong feelings about the welfare system and those who participate in it. The American welfare system has been the subject of mixed reviews among social scientists. Some see it as a tool for political mobilization and a right to citizenship; others argue that it relegates the poor and working class to second-class citizenship and perpetuates the cycle of poverty for women and people of color. This study aims to investigate the impact of social stigmatization and negative racial stereotypes on the employment prospects and socioeconomic status of African American welfare recipients in the US, as well as on employers' negative attitudes, prejudices, and discrimination.