Understanding Human Diversity

Key Terms

  • Assimilation: Process by which people of diverse backgrounds slowly give up their original cultural language and identity and melt into another, usually larger, group.
  • Bias: Prejudice; thinking negatively of others without any or significant justification; generally a combination of stereotyped beliefs and negative attitudes.
  • Biculturalism: Being able to negotiate two or more different cultures competently, individual and mainstream.
  • Cultural: Of or relating to culture.
  • Cultures: All of the socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thoughts by particular classes, communities, or populations.
  • Discrimination: Actions involved in the unequal or prejudicial treatment of people because they belong to a certain category, group, or race. May also include disability, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
  • Diverse: Differing from one another; made up of distinct characteristics, qualities, or elements.
  • Diversity: Fact or quality of being diverse, different (all of the ways in which human beings are both similar and different).
  • Ethnic: Designating any of the basic groups or divisions of humankind or of a heterogeneous population, as distinguished by customs, characteristics, language, and common history; national origin.
  • Ethnicity: Ethnic affiliation or classification.
  • Ethnocentrism: Tendency toward viewing the norms and values of the individual's own culture as absolute and using them as a standard against which all other cultures are measured.
  • Gender: Chromosomal designation of female or male being.
  • Homophobia: Irrational fear of and hostility toward homosexuality.
  • LGBTQ+: An acronym used to describe individuals who identify as other than heterosexual, i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, queer and/or questioning, intersex, and asexual and/or ally, plus others.
  • Mental and Physical Abilities: Capacity to perform cognitive and psychomotor tasks.
  • Race: Population that differs from others in the relative frequency of some gene or genes; any of the different varieties of humankind, distinguished by type of hair, color of eyes and skin, stature, bodily proportions, or other characteristics.
  • Racism: Belief in racial superiority, leading to discrimination and prejudice toward races considered inferior.
  • Religion: Belief in a divine or superhuman power or powers to be obeyed and worshipped as the creator(s) and ruler(s) of the universe.

Human Diversity

  • At the beginning of the 21st century, human diversity was enjoying widespread importance throughout the United States and globally.
  • Human diversity is also referred to as cultural diversity and addresses the variety of human societies and cultures and examines their similarities and differences.
  • This concept is crucial as it highlights the differences inherent among people and how these differences contribute to individuality and uniqueness.
  • Cultures develop behaviors, norms, and values suited to specific environments and often maintain their traditions despite changing conditions.
  • Increased globalization, characterized by the movement of people across borders for various purposes, has amplified the importance of understanding human diversity.
  • Globalization leads to multiculturalism in cities, businesses, communities, educational institutions, and healthcare systems.
  • There is a growing need to develop strategies for mediating conflict caused by cultural differences, emphasized by many educational institutions and businesses that have established diversity initiatives.
  • Cultural Competency: Defined as possessing a set of attitudes, behaviors, and policies that together enable effective interactions in a cross-cultural framework. Understanding the types of diversity is core to this process.

Understanding Human Diversity

Characteristics of Diversity

  • Diversity involves various human characteristics affecting perceptions of self and others, influencing individual values, opportunities, and acceptance.

  • Key characteristics include:

    • Age
    • Disability
    • Economic status
    • Education
    • Ethnicity
    • Family status
    • First language
    • Gender
    • Geographic location
    • Lifestyle
    • Organizational level
    • Physical characteristics
    • Political affiliation
    • Religious preference
    • Sexual orientation
    • Work style or ethic

  • Everyone has personal biases, often based on rational or perceived characteristics; these biases significantly influence interactions and perceptions of others.

  • Increasing knowledge about diverse characteristics can help mitigate the impact of biases.

Addressed Diversity Topics

  • Though many characteristics contributing to diversity exist, some commonly discussed ones include:

    • Age: Different cultures value age variably; for instance, some Asian cultures show deference toward older adults, while many Western cultures may not recognize their contributions.
    • Census Data: Highlights demographic changes among age groups, including:
    • Greatest Generation (1916-1928): 1.75 million (1%)
    • Silent Generation (1929-1946): 23.63 million (7%)
    • Baby Boomers (1946-1964): 68.70 million (21%)
    • Generation X (1965-1980): 65.13 million (20%)
    • Millennials (1981-1999): 82.22 million (25%)
    • Generation Z (2000-2020): 86.40 million (20%)

  • There are significant demographic shifts, with the Baby Boomers constituting a considerable sector of the population, leading to various societal implications including changes in workforce dynamics, economic patterns, and cultural perceptions regarding older citizens.

  • The Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits discrimination based on age, underscoring the necessity to confront age bias within societal structures.