A set of principles that are applied differently and often unfairly between two individuals, items, or groups, especially when applied to the standards of behavior considered acceptable and unacceptable for one group of people as compared to another: "The double standard is alive and well in adults, when assertive behavior is generally heralded in men but disparaged in women" (Lise Eliot). "Advocates of ending the ban have long argued that the policy created a double standard—imposing an unfair burden on religious groups and treating them differently from any other organization" (Sharon Otterman).