Discrimination in sociology is treating people with prejudice owing to their membership to a particular category or group. Opportunities are availed to one group while the other is denied. The areas that are commonly affected by this kind of discrimination are age, gender, sex, race and ethnicity. Sociology has made an attempt to define these aspects as well as explain their social construction. Frable (139) observes that priorities and methods in explaining the categories of people differ in content. However, research agrees in the fluidity, multidimensionality and the personal social construction of gender, sex, race and ethnicity. Sociology theories agree that, the socio-historical background and the current situation of an individual are the major determinants of their categories.

The critique by the feminists of the Marxists theories depicts the situation of social inequalities and discrimination as it is in the society. The Marxists theory depicts inequalities in the society in the way they bring out capitalism. The poor and the elderly have-nots are the victims of the system. Feminists on the other hand are concerned with gender discrimination. They argue that the Marxists were blind to sex. Marx is also criticized for ignoring, thus discriminating against race. His theory is focused only on one race worldwide. The movements that championed for equality led to sharing of information among scholars and the political class to bring about affirmative action in order to address social inequalities. The failure of the feminists’ theory to address racial and class differences among women, and age discrimination for the elderly, attracted criticism, that led to the display of inequality in the western society. The diversity of the peoples of the United States and the diverse cultures may be a factor that naturally attracts discrimination.

Work Cited

Frable, S.D. Gender, racial, ethnic, sexual, and class identities. Annual Review of Psychology, 48. 24 (1997): 139-157. Print.