When examining oppression it helps to understand that the prejudice and bias occurs on individual and systemic levels
Systemic oppression can be seen in the laws, institutions, political systems, and economic systems. When the system works in a way that benefits one group of people and fails to support a different group. This difference is often due to unchangeable aspects of identity. These aspects can include things like race, ethnicity, social or economic status, background, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
” The visible portion of the iceberg—above the waterline—represents the more overt and recognizable events and outcomes of systemic bias and structural inequalities, such as racism, sexism, classism, and other forms of oppression.
These are the issues that are most readily observed in our day-to-day lives, practices, and institutions. However, the true scale of the problem lies underneath the surface. Most of the iceberg, that is hidden—below the waterline—symbolizes the deeper, less visible forces that sustain and perpetuate these inequities. These submerged layers are the foundational systems of power.”
References
National Equity Project. (n.d.). Lens of Systemic Oppression. National Equity Project. Retrieved December 27, 2024, from https://www.nationalequityproject.org/frameworks/lens-of-systemic-oppression
Oregon State University. (2023, August 23). Difference, Power, and Oppression Program. https://dpo.oregonstate.edu/about
