What is geographical discrimination?

Geographical discrimination is a type of discrimination based on someone’s location or country of origin. Geographical discrimination can take many forms and oftentimes involves a candidate or employee being excluded, denied opportunities, or treated unfairly because of region or location-based factors.

Geographical discrimination can be based on racial, regional, or even country-specific prejudices and stereotypes. It can also be based on convenience factors.

While acts of geographical discrimination are often committed against employees from a different country, discrimination based on a person’s region of origin or location is also common.

Examples of geographical discrimination

For example, two employees are in the running for a promotion and the hiring manager shares her reasons for choosing one candidate over the other. “They’re both qualified but I rejected candidate A because they’re from a small town. They just have that small-town vibe and I think Candidate B is just a better cultural fit.”

Based on the hiring manager’s own statement, Candidate A has been denied an opportunity because of where they are from and a perceived lack of “cultural fit”—despite being qualified for the position.

Geographical discrimination can also be based on factors like commutes. An employer may decide that a candidate with a shorter commute is better for a role because of their proximity to the workplace.

Is geographical discrimination legal?

There are very few laws protecting employees and candidates against geographical discrimination. A person’s location or origin is not a protected class like race or religion. From an ethical standpoint, employers and managers should endeavor to treat employees the same no matter their location or geographical origin.

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