Is Low Self Esteem Linked To Racism Sociology Essay Example

around, and sitting with similar individuals at lunch. Racism can be utilized as a defense mechanism to protect self-esteem and prevent challenging beliefs while also preserving the privileges and benefits enjoyed by particular racial groups. For instance, favoritism toward the majority population in university admissions restricts slots available to minority communities. Holding onto these biased attitudes allows for feeling better about one's group while avoiding questioning unjust social practices benefiting them.It appears that individuals invest effort in upholding their worldview, which includes giving attention to information that corroborates their beliefs and recollecting information that confirms their preconceived notions. Information that is contradictory is often disregarded or explained away. When we come across people who defy our stereotypes, such as an intelligent and articulate Black person or a skilled Asian male driver, they are conspicuous because they do not fit into our stereotypical views. Nevertheless, the stereotypes persist and we frequently seek them out when interacting with individuals of varying races.

The issue of immigration has sparked heated debates within the U.S. legislative system. The House of Congress is resisting any proposals for legalizing 12 million illegal immigrants or creating plans for millions of guest workers to become citizens. While some accuse House leaders of racism, it's possible that they're trying to appease anti-immigrant groups. The President and Senate support programs for guest workers along with a pathway to citizenship; however, allegations of racism have been made in response to this matter.

The political need to secure the U.S.-Mexico border - including the President's proposal to send 6,000 troops - stems from national security concerns. Why hasn't anyone suggested increasing military personnel deployment along the U.S.-Canada border? It's

crucially important to determine if the United States is primarily attempting to prevent undocumented Mexican immigrants or terrorists from crossing over its borders.It is essential for legislators to determine the number of immigrants permitted into the country annually, regardless of their ethnicity. Establishing immigration targets that align with national interests is crucial, and policymakers should ask questions regarding America's skill requirements and how many immigrants are necessary to meet those demands. The issue of granting citizenship based on ethnicity and whether family members can join new citizens also necessitates attention. However, without defining American immigration policy goals, including desired immigrant numbers and purposes, it will be challenging to combat anti-immigrant groups who make false claims. Canada needs immigration reform specifically aimed at protecting long-term care facility workers who are predominantly immigrants from minority racial groups or women. Long-term care facilities employ a variety of professionals such as nurses, physical and occupational therapists as well as decision-makers; unfortunately, these workplaces have been deemed dangerous. A study discovered that violence does not necessarily characterize these workplaces; however, 43% of personal support workers experience daily physical abuse while a quarter faces such violence every week. This ongoing problem affects most female workers and those from minority racial groups or migrants in their line of work.This study compares the levels of violence in long-term care facilities between Canadian and Nordic European countries. While violence in these facilities is a concern for workers, it also affects immigration issues as many caregiving staff are women, including immigrants and women of color who provide direct attention to patients. Personal support workers experience the most violence during their work, but other healthcare professionals

are also at risk. Shockingly, statistics from research conducted on non-unionized long-term care facilities indicated that registered nurses, accredited practical nurses and registered nursing helpers experienced daily physical and verbal abuse. Personal support workers face even higher rates of force regularly. The study revealed additional problems such as unwanted sexual advances and racial remarks. The findings show that Nordic European countries have significantly lower levels of daily violence compared to Canada’s long-term care facilities by seven times due to factors such as racism and structural violence.The researchers found that working conditions in the long-term care sector create an environment that not only encourages violence but also makes it difficult to report. Verbal abuse, including shouting, racial slurs, cussing, threats and degrading comments are common experiences for healthcare workers. Physical violence is also frequent with incidents such as slapping, hitting with an object, pinching, biting, hair pulling and spitting. Workers may even experience unwanted sexual attention or have their wrist painfully twisted. Approximately one-third of those surveyed reported daily or weekly occurrences of unwanted sexual attention while over 11% experienced racist comments regularly. However, the study believes this number to be underestimated due to language barriers and underrepresentation of minority groups in large urban areas where racism is more prevalent. Focus group discussions revealed that many workers had experienced or witnessed racism at work. Workers attribute violence and racism to their working conditions - too much work with insufficient time and resources - which often results from understaffing being a primary contributing factor.Canadian personal support workers have reported that around 50% of them work understaffed on a daily basis, and over one third of caregivers report

being frequently left alone to care for residents. However, compared to working conditions in Nordic countries, Canadian conditions are inferior. Immigrants and minority workers receive unequal treatment compared to non-immigrant and non-minority workers. The story of one migrant caregiver illustrates the difficult choices they often face: a Filipino woman living in Canada had to decide between leaving her son with strangers in Canada or returning home to an impoverished life for him. Salvador, another Filipino live-in caregiver based in Montreal, is fighting against systemic racism and sexism within the Canadian government's Live-in Caregiver Program. She entered Canada through the program in 1995 and earns $271 for a 49-hour workweek, taking home only $221 after taxes. After working for at least 24 months within three years of arrival, caregivers can apply for permanent residency status. Coming to Canada was a life-or-death decision for Salvador's family even though she felt like she had no choice; however, despite the Labor Contracting Policy (LCP), she still had to pay various fees amounting to more than $4700 Canadian dollars - a significant amount of money - to different authorities including her own government as well as those in Canada and Quebec just so she could come here and pursue better opportunities for herself and her loved ones.Due to colonialism and global capitalism, multinational corporations have become the cornerstone of the Philippines' economy. As a result, there is a prevalence of low-wage contract work, poverty, unemployment and 2000 people leaving the country every day in search of employment. The Canadian government's demand for cheap labor and the Philippine Labor Export Policy contribute to the functional system of LCP which perpetuates this

issue by consistently pushing Filipinos out of their country to earn money abroad while migrants send millions back home. Salvador is now Pinay's elected vice-chairperson - an advocacy and support organization for Filipino women - providing caregivers with information, guidance and counseling on potential problems with employers, agencies, and governments. Many members are current or former caregivers who advocate strongly for improvement or abolition of LCP. Criticisms regarding migratory workers include unpaid overtime requirements among health professionals living on-site who may also be expected to clean, cook and tutor. The Canadian Filipino community calls for scrapping LCP through awareness-raising runs across Canada.Although live-in health professionals have the right to basic benefits such as employment insurance, maternity leave, overtime pay, holidays and paid vacations according to theory, in reality there is a discrepancy that they must face. In Quebec, individuals with employer complaints are required by law to report them to the appropriate Commissioner. Even if a health professional is fired, they may search for another employer temporarily but this process can be difficult due to the lengthy 4-6 month wait period for a new work license. Some employers terminate contracts before this waiting period ends which can make it challenging for professionals who must fulfill the 24-month requirement and find employment. However, some pregnant colleagues who decide to either continue working or have an abortion can secure employment and eventually become immigrants themselves. Unfortunately for Salvador - despite being pregnant and giving birth prior to being fired - she was not able to complete her immigration requirements whereas if she were male, fulfilling the 24-month requirement would not have been an issue. Despite initially failing

her first order of leaving Canada after being terminated from her job, Salvador appealed on humanitarian grounds in hopes of staying in Canada.During a meeting with an immigration officer, Salvador was told to leave or face forced deportation. The officer claimed that her volunteer work with three community organizations dedicated to helping individuals of Filipino origin did not exhibit integration into Canadian society. This discrimination angered a member of the National Action Committee of the Status of Women who believed assisting the Filipino Canadian community demonstrated integration. Although Salvador had an employment offer, the officer expressed doubt about her ability to find a job in Canada. Despite her irregular employment history, she never became a burden on either government. Some Filipino health professionals are limited to domestic caregiving roles in Canada that Canadians do not prefer. However, Salvador wishes to become a caregiver if it grants her residence status for a better life for her family. Foreign nurses were given status during staffing shortages, and caregiving jobs enable parents to work, contribute to society, and pay taxes and fees to the Canadian government.According to Salvador, the government is addressing a public need with a private solution by importing female laborers from developing countries instead of implementing a national childcare plan. When Salvador's immigration officer suggested leaving her son in Canada, her lawyer argued that they should stay together for humanitarian reasons since her child is a Canadian citizen with constitutional rights, including the right to reside in Canada. If the mother is deported, it would violate her child's rights. Either the child's right to live in Canada would be affected if he is deported with

his mother or his right to individual security would be at risk if he stays in Canada separated from his sole parent. Despite being denied an extension on her work license, theoretically Salvador should have all the rights and access to services of any other Canadian citizen such as healthcare. However, when Salvador's employment mandate ended, she could not renew her son's Medicare card. The Campaign to Stop the Exploitation of Melca Salvador includes community members and students who participate in research activities and letter-writing campaigns while organizing presentations and disseminating information through media outreach. The group has received requests and letters of support from migrant worker communities across the globe.According to the group's press release, critics of Canada's Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) contend that treating female live-in health professionals like Salvador as disposable commodities is unacceptable by any humanitarian standard. These women should not be treated as goods that Canada can use and dispose of at will. The campaign members demand that Canadian authorities permit Salvador to remain with her son Richard, recognize the rights and responsibilities of foreign health professionals and nannies in Canada, immediately grant residency to Melca and other LCP workers, while dismantling the current LCP system. Despite being overworked and underpaid, female workers are persevering to obtain residency status even with difficult terms. The campaigners have organized a nationwide day of protest on Thursday 19th October in support of Salvador calling for a reversal of her exile order so she can stay with her son. However, the Canadian federal government has no intention of addressing their concerns regarding LCP and there are no plans for program changes or reviews concerning

its impact. Some Canadian Filipino activists have requested a meeting with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to address these issues. It is necessary for us to change our behavior such as interacting more frequently with individuals from diverse racial groups which increases our familiarity resulting in positive attitudes towards them through contact as we often realize how similar rather than different we truly are.