Can you imagine a world where everyone looked the same? The same hair, eyes, skin, athletic ability, personality, laugh, skills -- everything the same. It sounds like a boring, flat, and sad world. Social diversity breathes life into our lives. Our differences keep us on our toes, motivate us to learn, and broaden our perspectives.
- What are the types of diversity in society?
- What is the importance of diversity in society?
- What are the advantages of diversity in society?
- What are the effects of diversity in society?
- What is the relationship between equality and diversity in society?
Definition of Social Diversity
We are all different, so it would be virtually impossible to be in a social space that does not have social diversity.
Social Diversity: a term that refers to the various ways that we are set apart from one another.
Can you think of all the ways you are set apart from the other students in your class? The list is probably endless. We have different lifestyles, religions, taste preferences, and ethnicity. Social diversity can show up at work, in a classroom, on the bus, or simply walking down the street.
Psychologists are especially interested in social diversity because it plays a significant role in how we interact with one another and how we view ourselves as individuals. By understanding our differences, perhaps we can find ways to better get along, work towards a common goal, and foster inclusivity.
Fg. 1 Racial and ethnic diversity, Pexels.com
Types of Social Diversity
Diversity can be found in several different areas of society. Some types of social diversity include groups that are specifically protected by law and others that still play a large role in what makes us different.
Protected Class
Diversity can be found in several different areas of society. The diverse groups in society that a protected by law are often referred to as a protected class. In the United States, there are laws that protect members of a protected class from facing discrimination or maltreatment.
Racial
Race is a social construct, which means it's based on arbitrary rules that are formed or agreed upon by society. Race often refers to a person's physical traits including the color of their skin.
Caucasian (white), African-American (black), Latino, or Asian are all examples of racial social diversity.
Cultural
Cultural diversity refers to differences in ethnicity or country of origin. Culture influences how we are raised, our values, and our morals. Some cultures are collectivistic (i.e. many Asian cultures) and others are individualistic (i.e. many Western cultures).
Collectivist: a culture that prioritizes and values the group over the individual and uses group identification to describe a person over personal characteristics.
Individualist: a culture that prioritizes and values the individual over the group and uses personal characteristics to describe a person over group identification.
Sex and Gender
Sex and gender differences create social diversity. Sex is assigned at birth and refers to a person's biological features. A person's sex may be male, female, or intersex.
Intersex: an individual who was born with both male and female biological sex characteristics.
Gender on the other hand refers to how a person identifies in society. Sometimes, a person's gender does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. These individuals may identify as transgender.
Transgender: a person whose gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation is often thought of as a spectrum. It can include heterosexuality as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or asexual. (LGBTQ+).
Sexual Orientation: refers to how a person identifies relating to sexual attraction.
(Dis)ability Status
Disabilities can vary greatly in society and can be either physical or mental. The diversity of disabilities in society should be considered in every setting to guarantee inclusivity and accessibility.
Age
There can be a lot of differences between generations. Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen X can each have different values and interests.
Religious
In America, everyone has the freedom to practice whatever religion they choose. As a result, this creates widespread religious and spiritual social diversity.
Other Types of Social Diversity
Outside of protected class, other forms of social diversity can still exist. A lot of things can make us different including:
Education -- some people have a high school education and others have a doctorate.
Socioeconomic background -- some people make $30,000 a year and others are millionaires.
Overall worldview -- some people believe in the death penalty, others do not
Life experiences -- some people are war veterans, others are pre-school teachers.
Personality -- some people are quiet and shy, others are loud and charismatic.
Importance of Social Diversity
What is the importance of social diversity? Even in nature, diversity helps a species survive. More diversity among animals and plants, for example, can decrease the likelihood of certain diseases spreading. Diversity among humans can strengthen us and increase our chances of survival as well.
Social diversity is also important because it prevents stagnation and fosters creativity. When we experience new cultures and new perspectives, it helps us generate new ideas and consider new approaches to solving a problem. Diversity also increases the likelihood for minorities to have the opportunity to interact with people that are in their own group. This interaction can help reduce a minority's chances of experiencing a stereotype threat.
Stereotype: a belief about a group of people that are often overgeneralized and potentially harmful.
Stereotype Threat: feelings that you may be judged based on negative stereotypes associated with a group you identify with.
Fg. 2 Social diversity in the workplace, Pexels.com
Stereotype threats can cause minorities to underperform in certain settings. But the presence of other minority members in a group can act as a buffer for all minorities, protecting them from underperformance as well as negative stereotypes, and self-doubt. These advantages of social diversity can be especially valuable in the workplace. While interacting with others that are different from us can be difficult, diversity in the workplace can lead to more productivity and inclusivity.
Social Diversity Examples
Let's take a look at a few social diversity examples of how it can impact learning, intergroup attitudes and behaviors, and civic engagement.
Learning
Next time you're in class, look around you and note all of your differences. How many different types of diversity might you see? The classroom can be one of the most diverse spaces we can be in. You may see diversity in race, religion, ethnicity, culture, learning styles, socioeconomic background, gender, sexual orientation, or language. As we mentioned earlier, social diversity can help foster creativity and pushes us to consider new approaches. These advantages can in turn help improve the process of learning. Simply the presence of minorities can trigger better cognition for individuals. Having to understand different views than your own forces you to stretch your thinking and consider perspectives outside of your own experiences.
According to Sommers et al. (2008), the reading comprehension for whites on race-related passages improved with the presence of racial minorities.
Intergroup Attitudes and Behaviors
It is our natural tendency to be drawn to people who are more like us. It's often the easiest way to interact with others. However, social diversity can help change our attitudes and behaviors toward those who are not like us and increase our empathy towards them as well. Men who take a women's studies class may adjust their attitudes towards women or white students who take a Latin-American studies class may adjust their attitudes towards the Latino community.
Can cooperation lead to more positive attitudes when we work with people who are different than us? Some studies show that it can. Roseth et al. (2008) found that when ethnically diverse groups are required to work together, they will, usually, come to more friendly terms. Some teachers use this to their advantage by creating more opportunities for multi-ethnic cooperation in the classroom.
Civic Engagement
When we are empathetic towards others, we are more likely and willing to want to help them, even if they are different from us. In this way, social diversity can help foster civic engagement.
Civic Engagement: actions taken to change and improve society.
Fg. 3 Civic engagement, Pixels.com
When we understand one another better, one group's struggle is all of our struggles. We become more likely to act to inspire change, even if it doesn't directly affect our group. This is called collective action.
Collective action: when members of a group attempt to improve conditions for the group by taking action, such as through civic engagement.
Two things must be present to predict the odds of collective action in response to diversity in action:
Understanding outgroup perspectives
Feelings of guilt
Social Diversity Issues
Diversity offers several advantages to society. But there are social diversity issues that can arise due to our differences. In a diverse space, we might have to interact with people who speak a different language than ours or simply have different communication styles than the culture we group up in. This can lead to communication issues that may be difficult to work around or manage.
Also, it's true that working with people who are more similar to you may help that group make decisions more quickly. If everyone in a group thinks alike and believes the same thing, chances are you will be able to quickly agree on the same thing as well. However, if a group is very diverse and has people with different cultures, lifestyles, or beliefs, they may have a more difficult time making decisions.
Even though social diversity may lead to slower decision-making, it is usually worth it to make a decision with several different perspectives.
We often see this with juries who are tasked with making a decision about a case. The justice system attempts to select a jury that represents the people. Sometimes, it can take a long time for a jury to make a decision, but the hope is that it's made fairly because of diversity.
Social Diversity - Key takeaways
- Social Diversity is a term that refers to the various ways that we are set apart from one another.
- The different types of diversity include racial, cultural, sex and gender, sexual orientation, age, disability status, religion, and several others.
- Even in nature, diversity helps a species survive. More diversity among animals and plants, for example, can decrease the likelihood of certain diseases spreading.
- Simply the presence of minorities can trigger better cognition for individuals. Having to understand different views than your own forces you to stretch your thinking and consider perspectives outside of your own experiences.
- Social diversity issues include slower decision-making and communication issues.
References
- Sommers, S. R., Warp, L. S., & Mahoney, C. C. (2008). Cognitive effects of racial diversity: White individuals' information processing in heterogeneous groups. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44(4), 1129–1136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2008.01.003
- Roseth, C. J., Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2008). Promoting early adolescents’ achievement and peer relationships: The effects of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic goal structures. Psychological Bulletin, 134, 223–246.
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