Social Problems: English Vocabulary List

the practice of treating a person or different categories of people less fairly than others

"Fight discrimination in the workplace and schools."

"Employment discrimination based on race gender or religion is prohibited by federal law."

an act of cruelty and unfairness toward someone because of their race, religion, or political views

"The minority group fled persecution."

"Religious persecution has caused suffering for many people throughout history."

the policy or practice of favoring people that belong to groups known to have been discriminated against formerly, especially by giving them jobs

"Affirmative action policy."

"Affirmative action policy aims to increase opportunities for underrepresented groups in education and employment."

to treat a person, group, or concept as insignificant or of secondary or minor importance

"Do not marginalize minority groups."

"The new policies tend to marginalize minority groups by excluding them from important decision making processes."

the conflict of interests between different social classes in a society, as mentioned in Marxist ideology

"Class struggle theory."

"Class struggle theory explains social conflict between different economic classes in society."

the expulsion of a non-citizen or foreigner from a country, often for being undesirable or violating laws

"The deportation order forced the man to leave the country immediately."

"The immigrant faced deportation after living in the country for ten years because his visa had expired without being properly renewed."

the protection that a country grants to someone who has fled their home country because of political reasons

"Seek political asylum."

"Many people seek political asylum in other countries to escape persecution in their homeland."

a person who has fled their home country due to fear of persecution, based on race, religion, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, and is seeking international protection in another country

"The asylum seeker needed shelter."

"An asylum seeker is a person who has fled their home country and applied for protection in another country but whose refugee status is not yet legally determined."

the fact or process of coming to another country to permanently live there

"Immigration changes many people's lives."

"The government is reviewing its policies on immigration and border control."

the act of permanently leaving one's own country to go and live in another

"Emigration means leaving your country."

"Emigration from Europe to America was high in the eighteen hundreds as millions of people left poverty and persecution to start new lives across the ocean."

the act or process of granting a foreigner the citizenship of a country

"The ceremony granted naturalization to fifty new citizens."

"The naturalization process requires several years of residency and passing a citizenship test."

the fact of having or expressing strong, irrational views and disliking other people with different views or a different way of life

"Bigotry has no place in a diverse society."

"Religious bigotry creates hatred and violence between different communities in society."

(of a person or area) facing challenging circumstances, especially financially or socially

"The program helps disadvantaged children."

"The program helps disadvantaged children by providing free meals and tutoring after school."

the state of homelessness as a result of unemployment

"The city passed a law to reduce vagrancy."

"The vagrancy law was used to arrest people without homes in the city last year."

a political situation in which there is anger among the people and protests are likely

"Social unrest led to protests in the capital."

"Social unrest grew after the controversial government decision was announced last month."

a situation in which people join together to fight against those in power

"The army was sent to crush the violent uprising."

"The failed uprising against the government led to the arrest of hundreds of protesters and activists."

suffering from extreme deprivation

"The region is poverty-stricken."

"The region is poverty stricken and most families live on less than two dollars per day."

to take away a person or a country's riches to the point of poverty

"The war impoverished the entire region."

"The long devastating war impoverished the entire country and destroyed much of its infrastructure and productive farmland."

extremely poor or in need

"He is indigent."

"The indigent man could not afford a lawyer so the court appointed a public defender to represent him in his criminal case."

a situation in which people are forced work against their will through threats or violence that prevents them from escaping

"Modern slavery still exists."

"Modern slavery includes forced labor and exploitation."

the buying and selling of goods illegally

"Human trafficking stopped."

"Many organizations work hard to stop human trafficking and protect victims around the world."

a condition in which a person does not have enough food or good food to eat in order to stay healthy

"Malnutrition is dangerous."

"Malnutrition affects growth and weakens the immune system."

the act of inhaling smoke from another person's cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, especially involuntarily

"Passive smoking harms non smokers too."

"Passive smoking is dangerous because non smokers can develop lung cancer simply by breathing secondhand smoke."

hatred, antipathy, or prejudice toward homosexuals

"Homophobia is still a problem in many places."

"Homophobia still exists in many societies and causes discrimination against gay people."

a powerful, addictive, and illegal drug that some people take for pleasure

"Heroin is considered a hard drug."

"Heroin is considered a hard drug because it is highly addictive and can cause fatal overdoses even after a single use."

a recreational drug that is not considered very harmful and gives some people a sense of pleasure

"Marijuana is soft drug."

"Some people argue that soft drug should be legalized for medical purposes."

a person who resides or works in a country in violation of its laws

"He was an illegal."

"The authorities apprehended the illegal who had been living in the country for years without documentation."

the state of being reluctant to accept ideas, thoughts, or behaviors that differ from one's own

"Intolerance leads to conflict."

"Religious intolerance is bad because it creates hatred and violence between different communities in society."

the state in which one cannot satisfy their basic human needs

"It is deprivation."

"The report detailed the extreme deprivation faced by communities lacking access to clean water and food."

a situation in which one has just enough money or food to survive

"The farmers live at a subsistence level."

"Many families in rural areas still practice subsistence farming to feed themselves."

a place or structure that provides protection from danger, adversity, or hardship

"They found refuge in a church."

"Refuge is a state of safety and protection from danger or distress"

to dismiss employees due to financial difficulties or reduced workload

"The factory laid off many workers."

"The factory had to lay off fifty workers due to a significant decrease in product demand."

expulsion of people from their homes, typically caused by war, persecution, or natural catastrophe

"Climate change caused the displacement of many people."

"Forced displacement of people happened after the war started in the region."