Institutionalized Bias

Institutionalized bias occurs when institutional practices, scripts, or procedures work to systematically advantage certain groups or agendas over others. The topic of institutionalized bias is important to those who study intergroup relations in part because it can account for how processes can advantage dominant groups in the absence of overt efforts to discriminate against marginalized groups. In other words, even in the absence of any intention to discriminate, institutional practices can produce the same outcomes as discrimination by advantaging certain groups over others. This entry provides a broader context for the concept of institutionalized bias and gives examples of how such bias can be manifest.

The key feature of institutionalized bias that distinguishes it from other forms of bias or from discrimination is that it is ...