Racism is very widespread in Germany. But what concrete consequences can it have for those who are affected by it? This issue was addressed by the German Center for Research on Integration and Migration (DeZIM) in Berlin. Sociologists, Zerin Salikutluk and Klara Podkovik, wanted to find out if there is a connection between racism and poverty. And came to the conclusion that - there is.
The basis of their analysis is the National Monitor of Discrimination and Racism (NaDiRa), on which Salikutluk collaborates. "If you look at the official statistics or the reports of the German government about poverty and wealth, they are mostly divided into those with a migrant background or those who have German citizenship. But what is the condition of people who are affected by racism in Germany - we have not been able to tell about that until now nothing to say."
Everyday discrimination
In order to shed more light on that area, different areas were investigated, the scientist explains in an interview with DW: the education system, the labor market, the housing market and the health system. Other studies have already shown that discrimination occurs when looking for a job. All this increases the risk that people have to live below the poverty line.
In Germany, those who have less than 60 percent of the statistically average income are considered to be at risk of poverty. In 2023, it was 1.310 euros per month. Below that limit, as they say, were five percent of Germans without a migrant background - even though they worked full-time. Among blacks, Muslims and people from Asia, there was an average of 20 percent.
Good education, yet threatened by poverty
At the same time, a good education only conditionally protects against a difficult financial situation - from a master's degree in a trade, all the way to a doctorate from a university. Of Germans without a migrant background with a good education, five percent stated that they are threatened by poverty. People who had experienced racism reported a two to seven times greater risk of poverty.
Muslim men are the most affected with 33 percent. The author of the study, Zerin Salikutluk, has the following explanation for this: about 20 percent of the surveyed people of the Muslim faith came to Germany after 2013 - primarily from Syria and Afghanistan. So from countries that were very affected by war and poverty. "And with refugees, it is already known that they are more threatened by poverty due to more difficult access to the labor market".
If the name sounds foreign…
However, people of foreign origin who have lived in Germany for much longer or were even born in that country and have German citizenship are also discriminated against. Salikutluk reminds of experiments in which applications were sent for a job vacancy with identical qualifications, but with different names. The result was the following: "People whose name sounds Turkish have less chance of being invited to an interview for a job".
The results of that research show that it is necessary to take targeted measures in the fight against poverty and to encourage equal opportunities for groups that are discriminated against, says Salikutluk. The study also states specific proposals - diplomas obtained abroad should be recognized in particular, the study indicates.
How to reduce the poverty rate?
"This would speed up the entry of refugees and other migrants into the German labor market and enable the access of specialists with foreign degrees to suitable occupations," the study says. For faster integration into the labor market, the team around Zerin Saliktluk wants faster access to language courses and integration courses. Because, only if it is possible for income from some work to cover subsistence needs, the poverty rate among refugees can be reduced.
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