Researchers from New York University looked at the biological effects of discrimination and found it may cause accelerated aging, building on prior research that found discrimination may contribute to health problems like depression and heart issues.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



The researchers followed over 2,000 participants either between 2004 and 2009, or 2012 and 2016; 81% identified as white, 19% identified as Black, the average age was 53 years old and more than half were women, according to the study published Thursday in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity-Health.



Participants were surveyed on whether they experienced three types of discrimination: everyday discrimination, which is subtle instances of disrespect in daily life; major discrimination, which includes more severe actions like police brutality or being denied from buying a home; and workplace discrimination, which is unfair treatment and hindered professional growth at work.



Previous research has already linked discrimination to health issues like heart problems and depression—which may cause accelerated aging—so the researchers looked at discrimination-related aging on a molecular level by scoring participants on DNA markers used to assess the biological impacts of aging.



They found participants who reported higher levels of all forms of discrimination had higher biological aging scores—meaning they aged faster—than those with the lowest levels, though everyday and major discrimination had more severe effects than workplace discrimination.



Exposure to discrimination can also trigger other physiological and behavioral responses like poor sleep and higher&nbsp;<a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22187-cortisol" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">cortisol</a>&nbsp;levels—a hormone that can cause weight gain, high blood pressure and high blood sugar if too high—which may also cause faster aging, according to the study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



Although Black participants experienced the most discrimination, and therefore had higher aging scores, white participants who did experience discrimination were more susceptible to the impacts of it. The researchers believe this may be due to white participants having fewer coping mechanisms, since they don’t experience discrimination as much. Previous&nbsp;<a href="https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2007.114397" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">research</a>&nbsp;also found white people experienced more severe effects of discrimination, including higher mortality rates, than Black people.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



“Experiencing discrimination appears to hasten the process of aging, which may be contributing to disease and early mortality, and fueling health disparities,” Adolfo Cuevas, senior author and an assistant professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at NYU’s School of Global Public Health, said in a statement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Discrimination may lead to other health issues. People who experienced intermediate levels of discrimination in the workplace were 22% more likely to develop high blood pressure compared to those who didn’t, and participants who experienced high levels of discrimination were 54% more likely to develop high blood pressure,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.heart.org/en/news/2023/04/26/workplace-discrimination-linked-to-high-blood-pressure-risk#:~:text=Those%20who%20said%20they%20experienced,their%20peers%20who%20did%20not." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to the American Heart Association. Young adults who experience discrimination at least a few times a month are 25% more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder and twice as likely to develop severe psychological distress than people who didn’t experience discrimination or did less often, a 2021&nbsp;<a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/148/6/e2021051378/183387/Discrimination-and-Subsequent-Mental-Health?autologincheck=redirected" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">study</a>&nbsp;found. Everyday discrimination&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2794428" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">significantly increases</a>&nbsp;moderate to severe depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Coping mechanisms like smoking are increased due to discrimination, which can then lead to heart issues,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2024/february/discrimination-smoking-heart-health.html#:~:text=Discrimination%20is%20another%20social%20determinant,to%20the%20thickening%20of%20arteries." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to previous research from NYU. Discrimination is linked to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.heart.org/en/news/2023/04/05/discrimination-linked-to-higher-risk-of-death-particularly-from-cardiovascular-disease" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">higher rates</a>&nbsp;of death, especially from heart disease.



.

The paper written as discrimination is torn on wood. Concept of abolition of discrimination.

Discrimination May Cause People To Age Faster—And Affect White People Most, Study Suggests

Back in early July, San Francisco employment law firm Altshuler Berzon LLP posted Facebook and <a href="http://go.equalpayforgooglewomen.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LinkedIn</a> notices seeking women currently or formerly employed at Google for possible inclusion in a planned class-action lawsuit alleging gender pay discrimination.
Several dozen came forward in a matter of weeks. &#8220;That&#8217;s a pretty high level of dissatisfaction,&#8221; said James Finberg, a civil rights lawyer and the partner at the firm in charge of the matter.
Then <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2017/08/08/google-fires-anti-diversity-memo-writer-drawing-ire-in-right-wing-circles/#2c6ad9205b07" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">came this week&#8217;s news</a> that Google fired an engineer who wrote a memo questioning women&#8217;s suitability for tech jobs, which thrust the ongoing debate around diversity, women and discrimination in Silicon Valley back onto the headlines.
&#8220;The phone has been lighting up today,&#8221; said Finberg. &#8220;We didn&#8217;t have any control of that guy and his memo or the media firestorm. We&#8217;re going public a lot earlier than we&#8217;d hoped or expected.&#8221;
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/technology/2017/08/07/google-ceos-visit-nigeria-means-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What The Google CEO&#8217;s Visit To Nigeria Means For Africa</a>
Finberg has heard from more than 70 women so far. He has confirmed four for the planned suit, which he has not yet filed, and several others are considering joining, he said.
The class-action would follow a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/apr/07/google-pay-disparities-women-labor-department-lawsuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">suit against the tech giant</a> filed earlier this year by the United States Department of Labor, which said it found evidence of an &#8220;extreme&#8221; gender pay gap at the company. Finberg said the class-action case will draw on the DOL analysis, which found between six and seven standard deviations between wage rates of men and women based on a snapshot of the salaries of 21,000 workers at Google&#8217;s Mountain View headquarters.
&#8220;How do you explain that?&#8221; Finberg asked. &#8220;The chance of that occurring randomly is one in 100 million.&#8221;
Of the 70-plus women who&#8217;ve so far shared their stories of employment at Google with Altshuler Berzon, common threads have emerged, according to Finberg.
<blockquote>&#8220;Women are channeled into &#8216;softer&#8217; jobs, like design or user experience, versus coding,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Coding is the best compensated.&#8221;</blockquote>
He&#8217;s also heard concerns that women&#8217;s prior salaries were used to calculate their new wages at Google.
&#8220;That&#8217;s institutionalizing gender discrimination, and it&#8217;s against California law,&#8221; he said.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/technology/2017/06/20/want-expose-googles-mistakes-russian-hacker-blamed-big-android-fraud-problem/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8216;I Want To Expose Google&#8217;s Mistakes&#8217;: The Russian Hacker Blamed For A Big Android Fraud Problem</a>
Google did not respond to a request for comment on this or other points in this story. But the company has <a href="https://www.blog.google/topics/diversity/update-department-labor-lawsuit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vehemently disputed</a> the Labor Department&#8217;s allegations saying its own analysis &#8220;shows no gender pay gap at Google.&#8221; The company has also sought to explain <a href="https://www.blog.google/topics/diversity/our-focus-pay-equity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it ensures pay equity across its ranks</a>.
The company scored a victory in July, when a judge ruled that the government&#8217;s demand for data on its 21,000 Mountain View workers, which Google had called a &#8220;fishing expedition,&#8221; was &#8220;over broad&#8221; and &#8220;intrusive.&#8221;
Finberg intends to file the equal pay class-action suit &#8220;within the next few weeks,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s more likely than not.&#8221; &#8211; Written by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-ga-track="contrib block byline">Clare O&#8217;Connor</a>, FORBES STAFF

Tag: discrimination

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Discrimination May Cause People To Age Faster—And Affect White People Most, Study Suggests

‘One In 100 Million’ Chance Alleged Gender Pay Gap At Google Is Random, Says Class Action Lawyer