unequal treatment
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unequal treatment
The act of treating people or groups differently without an objective reason, which is often perceived as unfair or discriminatory.
Die Mitarbeiterinnen beschwerten sich über die Ungleichbehandlung bei der Beförderung.
The female employees complained about unequal treatment in promotions.
The word is clearly structured: 'Un-' (not) + 'gleich' (equal) + 'Behandlung' (treatment). So it literally describes treatment that is not the same for everyone. The ending '-ung' makes the word feminine.
Eine Ungleichbehandlung von Bewerbern ist gesetzlich verboten.
Unequal treatment of applicants is prohibited by law.
This noun is often combined with verbs that express protest or legal action. Typical phrases are 'sich über Ungleichbehandlung beschweren' (to complain about unequal treatment), 'gegen Ungleichbehandlung kämpfen' (to fight against unequal treatment), or 'Ungleichbehandlung erfahren' (to experience unequal treatment).
Viele Frauen kämpfen gegen die Ungleichbehandlung im Berufsleben.
Many women fight against unequal treatment in professional life.
To specify the context, certain prepositions are used: 'Ungleichbehandlung von' (unequal treatment of—who is disadvantaged?), 'bei' (in which situation?), or 'wegen' (for what reason?).
Die Studie untersucht die Ungleichbehandlung von Frauen bei der Gehaltsverhandlung.
The study examines the unequal treatment of women in salary negotiations.
discrimination
'Diskriminierung' and 'Ungleichbehandlung' both describe people being treated unfairly. 'Diskriminierung' is especially appropriate when the disadvantaging has to do with characteristics such as origin, gender, religion, age, or sexual orientation. The word often sounds stronger and is also used in legal or social discussions. 'Ungleichbehandlung' is more general: two people or groups are treated differently, even though there is no good reason for it. Learners may confuse the words because discrimination is almost always a form of unequal treatment. But not every case of unequal treatment is automatically called discrimination.
In der Schule beschweren sich Eltern über die Ungleichbehandlung bei der Notenvergabe.
At the school, parents complain about unequal treatment in grading.
Wegen ihrer Herkunft erlebt die neue Kollegin leider Diskriminierung im Team.
Because of her origin, the new colleague unfortunately experiences discrimination within the team.