Sociology

This research proposal will look at the comparison of scholarship between the United States and Canada by tackling the issues on double discrimination that black women face in these societies. In particular, the research will look at the role of racism and sexism in awarding scholarships to women by looking at the extent to which all races received these privileges that will serve as the starting point of whether discrimination in the providing of these scholarships exist or not. Black women especially African-Americans ultimately rely on education as a significant tool in acquiring and sustaining a higher standard of living throughout the course of their lives (Hemmons, 1996). They are still fortunate as the United States addressed issues on discrimination by means of prohibiting the use of race targeted scholarships which promote sexism and racism in the country. However, despite of the economic and academic benefits of feminist scholarship, women generally continue to experience being degraded and marginalized as compared to men (Ngwainmbi, 2004).

In Canada, discrimination among women and in all races is specifically addressed with the passage of the Human Rights Code stating that it is a public policy to acknowledge the worth and dignity of every individual by providing them equal opportunities and rights without the need for discrimination (Ontario Human Rights Commission, 1997). The law states that criteria like place of origin, race, citizenship, sexual orientation, color, creed, ethnic origin, and marital status must not be the foundation in the process of processing scholarship grants to any person in Canada. Disadvantages experienced by Canadian women in the past can be largely attributed to their gender as men are regarded to be superior to them. Black women in Canada also experienced rampant discrimination as the country was also a known territory of the white people. As a result, many women rights movements were established in the country to addressed the burgeoning problem of discrimination among women (Andrew and Tremblay, 1998). They worked on gender parity and increased educational opportunities for women minorities including black women.