Race and Ethnicity in a Population

Race and Ethnicity

• Race is a socially-defined category based on physical differences between groups of people.
• Racial formation theory examines the social, economic, and political forces that result in socially-constructed racial identity.
• Physical differences can be real or perceived, and are often defined by history.

Genetic Foundation of Race

• Humans are 99.9% genetically identical, making it difficult to find a genetic foundation for race.
• Despite this, race is incredibly important on a social level.

Ethnicity

• Ethnicity is also socially defined, but uses cultural factors such as language, religion, nationality, history, or shared identity.
• Ethnic groups are less statistically defined than racial groups, and definitions can change over time.

Minority Groups

• A minority consists of a group that makes up less than half the total population and is treated differently due to some characteristic.
• Examples of minority groups include Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants in the 1900s, who were not considered white and faced discrimination.

Discrimination and Prejudice

• Discrimination is the unjust treatment of a category of people simply because they belong to that category.
• Prejudice is when someone has a preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience.
• Discrimination often results from prejudice.

Socially Defined Groups

• It's essential to avoid stereotypes when looking at socially defined groups, and to recognize that statistical values are only guidelines.
• Racial and ethnic differences can lead to drastic events, such as genocide, population transfer, or inter-colonialism.

Statistical Differences

• There are significant statistical differences between racial and ethnic groups, including:
  • Families, education, income, birthrates, and life expectancies.
  • Health care disparities, with many Americans unable to afford basic health care.
  • Life span, with minorities tending to have shorter life spans due to limited access to health care, lower-income jobs, and environmental toxins.

Racialization and Labor Force

• Dominant groups have historically racialized minority groups, ascribing a racial identity to members of a minority group that they do not identify with themselves.
• This can be seen in the labor force, where different races are stereotyped for certain jobs, and minorities are expected to have lower-paying jobs.

Education and Economic Factors

• Access to education varies by race, with Asian Americans and whites having more access to education than African Americans or Latin Americans.
• Economic and cultural factors, such as the cost of education, can perpetuate difficulties for minorities.

Criminal Justice System

• Discrimination is present in the criminal justice system, where laws may not seem racist, but punishment for similar offenses varies drastically.
• Examples include the punishment for crack cocaine versus powdered cocaine, which separates the rich from the poor in the justice system.
• Minorities are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, with higher unemployment and dropout rates contributing to the issue.

Race and Ethnicity

• Race is a socially-defined category based on physical differences between groups of people.
• Racial formation theory examines the social, economic, and political forces that result in socially-constructed racial identity.
• Physical differences can be real or perceived, and are often defined by history.

Genetic Foundation of Race

• Humans are 99.9% genetically identical, making it difficult to find a genetic foundation for race.
• Despite this, race is incredibly important on a social level.

Ethnicity

• Ethnicity is also socially defined, but uses cultural factors such as language, religion, nationality, history, or shared identity.
• Ethnic groups are less statistically defined than racial groups, and definitions can change over time.

Minority Groups

• A minority consists of a group that makes up less than half the total population and is treated differently due to some characteristic.
• Examples of minority groups include Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants in the 1900s, who were not considered white and faced discrimination.

Discrimination and Prejudice

• Discrimination is the unjust treatment of a category of people simply because they belong to that category.
• Prejudice is when someone has a preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience.
• Discrimination often results from prejudice.

Socially Defined Groups

• It's essential to avoid stereotypes when looking at socially defined groups, and to recognize that statistical values are only guidelines.
• Racial and ethnic differences can lead to drastic events, such as genocide, population transfer, or inter-colonialism.

Statistical Differences

• There are significant statistical differences between racial and ethnic groups, including:
  • Families, education, income, birthrates, and life expectancies.
  • Health care disparities, with many Americans unable to afford basic health care.
  • Life span, with minorities tending to have shorter life spans due to limited access to health care, lower-income jobs, and environmental toxins.

Racialization and Labor Force

• Dominant groups have historically racialized minority groups, ascribing a racial identity to members of a minority group that they do not identify with themselves.
• This can be seen in the labor force, where different races are stereotyped for certain jobs, and minorities are expected to have lower-paying jobs.

Education and Economic Factors

• Access to education varies by race, with Asian Americans and whites having more access to education than African Americans or Latin Americans.
• Economic and cultural factors, such as the cost of education, can perpetuate difficulties for minorities.

Criminal Justice System

• Discrimination is present in the criminal justice system, where laws may not seem racist, but punishment for similar offenses varies drastically.
• Examples include the punishment for crack cocaine versus powdered cocaine, which separates the rich from the poor in the justice system.
• Minorities are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, with higher unemployment and dropout rates contributing to the issue.

Race and Ethnicity

• Race is a socially-defined category based on physical differences between groups of people.
• Racial formation theory examines the social, economic, and political forces that result in socially-constructed racial identity.
• Physical differences can be real or perceived, and are often defined by history.

Genetic Foundation of Race

• Humans are 99.9% genetically identical, making it difficult to find a genetic foundation for race.
• Despite this, race is incredibly important on a social level.

Ethnicity

• Ethnicity is also socially defined, but uses cultural factors such as language, religion, nationality, history, or shared identity.
• Ethnic groups are less statistically defined than racial groups, and definitions can change over time.

Minority Groups

• A minority consists of a group that makes up less than half the total population and is treated differently due to some characteristic.
• Examples of minority groups include Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants in the 1900s, who were not considered white and faced discrimination.

Discrimination and Prejudice

• Discrimination is the unjust treatment of a category of people simply because they belong to that category.
• Prejudice is when someone has a preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience.
• Discrimination often results from prejudice.

Socially Defined Groups

• It's essential to avoid stereotypes when looking at socially defined groups, and to recognize that statistical values are only guidelines.
• Racial and ethnic differences can lead to drastic events, such as genocide, population transfer, or inter-colonialism.

Statistical Differences

• There are significant statistical differences between racial and ethnic groups, including:
  • Families, education, income, birthrates, and life expectancies.
  • Health care disparities, with many Americans unable to afford basic health care.
  • Life span, with minorities tending to have shorter life spans due to limited access to health care, lower-income jobs, and environmental toxins.

Racialization and Labor Force

• Dominant groups have historically racialized minority groups, ascribing a racial identity to members of a minority group that they do not identify with themselves.
• This can be seen in the labor force, where different races are stereotyped for certain jobs, and minorities are expected to have lower-paying jobs.

Education and Economic Factors

• Access to education varies by race, with Asian Americans and whites having more access to education than African Americans or Latin Americans.
• Economic and cultural factors, such as the cost of education, can perpetuate difficulties for minorities.

Criminal Justice System

• Discrimination is present in the criminal justice system, where laws may not seem racist, but punishment for similar offenses varies drastically.
• Examples include the punishment for crack cocaine versus powdered cocaine, which separates the rich from the poor in the justice system.
• Minorities are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, with higher unemployment and dropout rates contributing to the issue.

Race and Ethnicity

• Race is a socially-defined category based on physical differences between groups of people.
• Racial formation theory examines the social, economic, and political forces that result in socially-constructed racial identity.
• Despite 99.9% genetic similarity among humans, race is still incredibly important on a social level.
• Every culture places a different importance on specific physical characteristics to define race.

Ethnicity

• Ethnicity is also socially defined, but uses shared language, religion, nationality, history, or cultural factors to define groups.
• Ethnic groups are less statistically defined than racial groups, and definitions can change over time.
• Ethnic minorities can be absorbed into the majority after a generation or two.

Minority and Discrimination

• A minority consists of a group that makes up less than half the total population and is treated differently because of some characteristic.
• Discrimination is the unjust treatment of a category of people simply because they belong to that category.
• It often results from prejudice, which is when someone has a preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience.

Statistical Differences

• There are statistical differences between racial and ethnic groups in terms of families, education, income, birthrates, and life expectancies.
• There is a wide-spread disparity in health care between racial and ethnic groups, leading to shorter life spans for minorities.
• Minorities tend to have limited access to health care, lower-income jobs with greater dangers, a higher prevalence of toxins in the environment, and unhealthy personal behaviors.

Racialization and Labor Force

• Dominant groups have racialized minority groups, ascribing a racial identity that the minority group does not identify with.
• In the labor force, different races tend to be stereotyped for certain jobs, with minorities expected to have lower-paying jobs and majorities expected to have higher-paying jobs.
• Access to education is limited for minorities, perpetuating the trend of difficulties.

Education and Economics

• The cost of education can be too high for minorities, who statistically tend to work lower-waged jobs.
• Culturally, starting a family may be more important than continuing an education for some people.
• Our society is structured so that racial and economic subordination develops and is sustained.

Criminal Justice System

• An interesting discrimination is present in the criminal justice system, where punishment for similar offenses varies drastically between races and ethnicities.