Modern discrimination: How perperators and targets interactively perpetuate social disadvantage

Stereotypes and discriminatory behavior do not necessarily
imply that people are explicitly devalued or actively excluded
from attractive positions in society. Instead, these often
implicitly communicate that any social disadvantages are due
to individual shortcomings. Recent research has uncovered a
number of mechanisms that explain how individuals may come
to enact stereotypical expectations of others. Modern
expressions of stereotypes are not easily recognized or
perceived as discriminatory. Attempts to distance the self from
the disadvantaged group to avoid discrimination are likely to
backfire in different ways. Countering common beliefs, people
are quite reluctant to confront discrimination or to claim
unequal treatment. For all these reasons, modern
discrimination tends to induce a cycle of self-fulfilling
mechanisms that perpetuate group-based social
disadvantage.