What the difference between adverse impact and adverse treatment?

Adverse impact refers to a situation where a seemingly neutral policy or practice disproportionately affects a particular group, leading to systemic disadvantage, often in employment or education contexts. In contrast, adverse treatment involves intentional discrimination or unfair treatment of individuals based on their group identity, such as race, gender, or age. While adverse impact can occur without intent, adverse treatment is characterized by deliberate actions that harm individuals based on their characteristics. Both concepts highlight different aspects of inequality and discrimination, but they differ in intent and mechanism.