When hearing about research and discrimination, people generally tend to think of the labour market first of all. And possibly also the housing market and education. “A lot of research on discrimination and exclusion has already been done in these domains,” Thijssen explains. “But we still know very little about discrimination in public and semi-public spaces. And this while that’s where much of our daily life takes place: on the streets, in shops, in traffic, on public transport, and at leisure venues, for example. Lots of people gather in those places, and previous small-scale studies show that exclusion can also occur there. We don’t yet know on what scale this happens, what the explanations for it are, or what policymakers can do to prevent discrimination and exclusion in public and semi-public spaces. Hence the importance of doing research on this.”
Multiple identities
Thijssen first became interested in mapping discrimination in public and semi-public spaces in the wake of his PhD research on discrimination on the labour market. He then submitted an application for this new research study for a Veni grant from the Dutch Research Council, which was granted in mid-July of this year. As a result, Thijssen will receive financial support for the next three years to carry out this research. With its focus on public and semi-public spaces, the research study engages not only with a different domain, but also with a broader perspective. Thijssen: “So far, studies on discrimination have mostly focused on a single group, based on gender, migration background, or social class. This time, the plan is to adopt an intersectional perspective.”
The latter requires some explanation. Thijssen: “With an intersectional perspective, you really take into account the fact that people have multiple identities. For example, they aren’t only male or female, but also black or white, and they come from a rich or a poor background. One of the objectives of this study is to identify how the combination of these identities affects the way a person is approached and treated in different everyday situations. In adopting this perspective, I’m building on the rapidly emerging literature on intersectional discrimination.”
Questionnaires and diary study
Thijssen will be using a number of methods and data sources in his research study. For instance, he will study and compare answers from existing questionnaires from several European countries to get a broader picture of who is affected by public and semi-public discrimination. “In these questionnaires, people were asked where and when they experienced discrimination,” he explains. “It’s useful to analyse their answers in more detail, so that we can obtain a comparative picture about experiences of discrimination in different countries. In addition, I plan to examine people's experiences in the Netherlands in more detail. I want to do this by means of a diary study, in which during a fixed time period, a group of different people record the public and semi-public spaces where they encounter discrimination, and what underlies these experiences.”
In addition to these research methods, Thijssen plans to conduct an experimental study, the exact form of which has not yet been finalised. Insights from focus groups with marginalised groups will play a guiding role in this process and are intended to ensure that meaningful situations are explored. “I want to use an experimental study to investigate whether people, based on their identities, are approached and treated differently in public and semi-public spaces. My plan is to then to juxtapose the results with the diary studies to see whether any patterns emerge. Such a combination of diary studies and experimental studies hasn’t yet been carried out in the Netherlands or in other countries.”
Thijssen believes that it is important to identify patterns of everyday discrimination. “As a rule, the structures that lead to people being treated unequally don’t occur at a single fixed point in time. People face discrimination not only when applying for a job, for example, but also at other times in their lives. That’s why it’s important to carry out this research, because for various people, systematic discrimination is an everyday reality.”
The latter also means that this research serves a higher purpose, says Thijssen. “It would be great if this research study could contribute to equal opportunities in society. I hope that the Ministry of Social Affairs & Employment, the National Coordinator against Discrimination and Racism, and the State Commission against Discrimination and Racism, among others, will soon be able to use my research findings to devise solutions. That would be wonderful.”
Photo: Dieter de Vroomen via Unsplash