Within the scope of the Let’s Care project, the Uniwersytet Ignatianum w Krakowie (UIK) held on April 1st an open lecture by Dr. Ewa Sowa-Behtane – the Rector’s Representative for Equal Treatment and Anti-Harassment and professor of the university – on the topic of “Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination versus Equal Treatment”.
During this lecture, Dr. Ewa Sowa-Behtane presented theoretical definitions of the various concepts, numerous studies in the field of social psychology about these topics and examples from everyday life regarding stereotypes, prejudices and discriminatory behaviours. Dr. Ewa Sowa-Behtane explained why the phenomenon of stereotyping is often encountered, what are the functions of prejudices, and then indicated ways to weaken these terrible social phenomena.
Dr. Ewa Sowa-Behtane went on to say that although equal treatment is considered a fundamental value, there are still many challenges in its implementation: discrimination, stereotypes and prejudices can influence people’s decisions and behaviours, which leads to inequality. It is important for society as a whole to take action to minimise these problems through educational policies and by improving awareness on these topics.
