What Is Marginalization? Types, Causes, and Effects

Marginalization, also referred to as social exclusion, occurs when certain groups of people get denied access to areas of society. Many factors can lead to this denial of access to institutions and opportunities, including historical bias and lack of funding.

Marginalized people don’t necessarily belong to one particular demographic: Marginalization occurs due to ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, socioeconomic level, and age. Marginalized groups are often at a disadvantage when it comes to obtaining health care, decent education, and employment that would improve their well-being.

Marginalization puts people in powerless positions based on one or several dimensions of exclusion:

1. 1. Economic marginalization: Economic marginalization refers to disparities in amassing wealth or getting a job. For example, many forms of employment marginalize racial minorities due to harmful stereotypes about what types of people make good managers or workers.
2. 2. Political marginalization: Politically marginalized communities struggle to participate in parts of the civic process, like voting or gaining access to their political representatives. Jim Crow–era laws that prevented Black Americans from voting were examples of political marginalization.
3. 3. Social marginalization: When someone can’t participate in everyday leisure activities, it’s known as social marginalization. Denial of access to clubs and organizations is an example of social marginalization.

Marginalization can result from intentional campaigns that exclude certain people (like ethnic groups) from society. It can also occur unintentionally due to structures that benefit some members of society while making life challenging for others.

1. 1. Discrimination and bias: Social forces, like racism, sexism, and religious hatred, can lead policymakers or community members to create structures that keep certain groups from participating fully in society. Apartheid is an example of this, as are institutional boundaries like the prohibition of marriage between people of the same sex.
   
2. 2. Poverty: Poverty is a major contributor to marginalization. Impoverished people often don’t have the time or resources to advocate for their interests, either because they live in marginalized communities and lack access to necessary resources or spend excessive time and energy trying to provide for themselves and their families. The outsized effect money has in the political system exacerbates this situation. For example, many people burdened by homelessness cannot access mental health services or other social benefits that could improve their lives.
3. 3. Structural disadvantages: Sometimes, society marginalizes people by denying them the space or accommodations they need to advocate for their needs and make their voices heard. For example, the lack of accessible housing for people with disabilities has increased poverty levels for this group.

Marginalization harms society as a whole, but marginalized people shoulder the main burden of that impact. Here are some of its harmful effects:

1. 1. Limited talent pools: Gatekeeping institutions and workplaces create a set of conditions wherein only certain people from specific backgrounds advance and have a voice. As a result, the same kinds of ideas circulate, and decision-makers don’t benefit from new perspectives and fresh ideas. Due to this homogeneity, ideas that might benefit marginalized people may not be broached.
2. 2. Criminal activity: Marginalized people may encounter seemingly insurmountable challenges when pursuing legal means of earning a living, motivating them to turn to illegal means.
3. 3. Mental health issues: Marginalized people often develop feelings of alienation and depression, compounded as their marginalization continues. The lack of access to necessary mental health resources forces whole swaths of the population to manage these issues independently.

Marginalization is a broad issue affecting many people with many different needs. There’s no singular way to eliminate its effects on society, but here are some measures that can make a difference:

1. 1. Take political action. By getting involved in social justice initiatives, people can create powerful interventions in the political process and force representatives to listen to historically silenced groups. Political action requires both organization and allyship to build coalitions of people who can bring attention to a cause and effect change.
2. 2. Learn about marginalization and its impact. Learning the history of human rights abuses and oppression creates more empathy and a better understanding of marginalized groups. It also dispels misinformation about how and why certain groups get excluded from society.
3. 3. Invest in infrastructure and public services. Marginalized groups often lack basic tools and resources that are readily available to non-marginalized groups, such as internet access, working and accessible public transportation, and local medical clinics. By prioritizing these services, society can remove some of these oppressive barriers.

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