Embrace Diversity for Improved Lifestyles: Why Acceptance Matters - Research Paper

Introduction

Diversity is the idea of individuals accepting each other even when they differ in social aspects such as age, race, and gender. Studies show that the aspect of a diverse society encourages creativity, problem-solving skills, and improved lifestyles (Bordalo et al., 2016). It ensures that people engage with each other which facilitates the development of new ideas or strategies. It is important for people to accept diversity since it undermines mistreatment and injustice of the minority groups. The minority population is made up of people with distinct race or background that exists with a more dominating group. Over the years, diversity and acceptance of different social groups such as women, immigrants, and millennials increased within the society.

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History of Diversity

In the past years, companies perceived that introducing new employees slows down the productivity of the firm. In the old times, people were not able to communicate with one another from different parts of the world. It undermined the ability of people from different ethnic backgrounds to interact with each other. During the early 1900s, the number of women working in organizations was just 29.6 percent (Gyngell & Douglas, 2018). In the old times, the female community just had roles and responsibilities within a household. It was the male gender that dominated the workforce since they got perceived as the breadwinner of families. The society believed that women could not be as effective as men in handling important roles such as political leaders or entrepreneurs. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it was also difficult for women to get well-paid jobs because learning institutions did not allow them to access university-level education. A school institution known as Harvard Graduate School provided high-level academic resources to allow the first woman to attend law school. During the financial crisis called the Great Depression, the male community fought against females taking respectable positions within organizations (Laundry et al., 2016). During the second world war, women got assigned tasks to replace men who gone to defend the country. It facilitated the introduction of the women community into the workforce. Countries began to implement policies and regulations to protect the rights of women in the community. For instance, in the USA, the nation established the Pregnancy Discrimination Act to protect expectant women from discrimination in workplaces.

Current Situation of Diversity

In the current world, the number of ethnic people in the job sector increased to up to 36 percent in 2012 (Madsen & Andrade, 2018). Experts indicate that communities will continue to become more diverse. Statistics suggest that in 2050, there will be no ethnic majority group in the USA. Experts mentioned that the population of women in workplaces will increase by 6.2 percent which will lead to a decrease in the number of men within the workforce (Bordalo et al., 2016). Nations such as the USA have more than nine million gay and transgender people. It illustrates that they contribute up to six percent in the current labor force.

Diversity encouraged gender equality which allowed women to become as important as men in society. In recent times, society embraced the presence of the female gender in taking up powerful leadership and managerial roles. it ensured that they have the opportunity of making a difference in the community. It illustrates that diversity promoted the acceptance of women in society. There are still aspects that hinder the development of careers among females. For example, they tend to get fewer privileges and chances during job promotions. There is still bias when allocating salaries since many companies pay a higher salary to their male workers than female.

Workforce 2020 is an act which enforced the introduction of diversity in the workplace (Young & Jones, 2019). It is because the regulation focused on the minority populations which include women and illegal immigration. Companies realized that the aspect of diversity facilitates a competitive edge. Firms began to measure the impact of diverse cultures through evaluating productivity and stock value. The aspect of diversity encouraged institutions to create initiatives such as flexible duty schedules and partner benefits. It is because the firms began to understand and meet the needs of the workers.

In recent times, firms started to employ the aspect of diversity to satisfy the needs of its customer base. For instance, in the USA, corporations are targeting the gay and lesbian community which facilitates the expansion of its products' market. The strategy allows companies to attract more customers and maintain their position in the market. Companies began to implement diverse cultures in the suppliers' department which facilitates effective productivity.

Causes of Change

Globalization facilitated the introduction of modern means of transport such as air or train which enhanced the movement of people from one place to another. Introduction of advanced technology-enabled people to communicate with each other through the use of devices such as a cellphone. It allowed people to interact with each other from different parts of the globe. In current times, the creation of Social media platforms allows people from different countries to share images, knowledge, messages, and videos. The strategy made it impossible for diverse individuals to interact and share their insights or perspectives.

The availability of various means of transport and communication encouraged people to travel from one pace to another in search of better resources. the factor facilitated the increase in the number of immigrants in nations such as the USA. Statistics prove that the USA has the highest population of immigrants in the world. More than 44.4 million immigrants are living in the U.S in 2017 (Laundry et al., 2016).

Age groups such as millennials and boomers perceive diversity as a way of unity people with different cultures and opinions to form a team. They believe that diversity can help in overcoming challenges in a work environment. Millennials believe that the social aspect can contribute to innovations and increase teamwork and coordination by 71% (Zhang et al., 2019). The age groups facilitated the development of the idea of diversity in companies. Introduction of the civil rights regulation to protect people from discrimination due to aspects such as race, gender or background. It forced workplaces to adapt to the regulation which facilitated diversity. The law protected the rights of minority groups by implementing strict consequences. From the 1960s, there was an increase in the number of religious communities occupying regions such as Europe and North America. The population grew because of factors such as immigration and increased birth rates.

Advantages

The development of diversity has a wide range of advantages to society. Diverse individuals promote the strength of the nation's economy. It is because they have different resources and talents which makes society to be more productive. Cities with diverse individuals tend to attract tourists from across the globe. For instance, Chinatown found in San Francisco. In a diverse environment, people are getting interested in learning different languages to ensure effective communication. The concept ensures that people gain economic and social benefits that come from understanding diverse languages. Over the years, people from different cultures are starting families together. People get a chance to choose a partner from a different background in a diverse society. The idea of intercultural marriages undermines social crime known as race.

Communicating with people from different cultures or races allows people to acquire a wide range of perspectives and opinions about priorities and experiences. It ensures that people living in a diverse society think from different perspectives. Interacting with individuals experiencing different struggles motivates people to appreciate their situation since they are individuals with more life problems. Society becoming more diverse eradicates discrimination. It is because community members get a chance to understand other people's concerns and strengthen their bonds. It eliminates the aspect of unfairness since individuals feel compassion towards each other. Diversity programs allow the creation of strong bonds between employees, employers, and clients in the workplace. The connection can encourage the creation of strategies that can provide growth opportunities to the consumer's market.

Studies suggest that the idea of diversity in society makes life more interesting (Young & Jones, 2019). It is because people get a chance to hear experiences or diverse cultural heritages. The information can make individuals appreciate different cultures and religious backgrounds. The health sector of nations such as Northern Ireland benefited from diversity since they got a chance to receive quality medical care from professionals around the world. In the past, the country had a low population of qualified health providers which undermined patients' safety. Embracing different cultures facilitated the establishment of restaurants that focus on providing foods from diverse countries such as China. It allows people to enjoy and experience the culture of other communities. The restaurants provide individuals with a platform where they can exchange and share opinions that encourages unity.

Cultural festivals such as Belfast allow people to learn about different backgrounds through theatre, art, and comedy. Individuals get a chance to listen to music from artists around the globe. The festivals have seminars that allow people to share and exchange ideas through strategies such as debate. There are learning institutions that allow students to learn other languages such as Irish and Spanish. It allows students to appreciate the languages and become interested in traveling to diverse nations to experience their culture. It encourages people to love each other despite the difference in culture or background. The concept of cultural enrichment allows people to get exposed to knowledge concerning diverse issues such as food.

Some countries have markets that focus on attracting ethnic communities. It ensures that people connect with their culture even though they are living in foreign countries. Countries began to engage in communication projects such as establishing immigrant museums. The exhibitions allow people to learn the history and the problems that immigrants faced in the old days. It ensured that individuals learn the importance of accepting each other within the community. For instance, Tokyo launched an immigration museum in 2011 (Zhang et al., 2019). The main goal of the facility is to expose the public to people's culture and lifestyles. The facility holds exhibitions that allow people to gain knowledge through artwork.

Women provide work environments with optimism and empathy which help when implementing strategies. Their capability of employing good moral values such as kindness to aid in creating a good job climate. The female community provides insights from diverse perspectives that promote the development of strategies that boost the profit gain of a firm. Businesses such as marketing agencies tend to hire more women than males since they attract more customers. It is because people prefer to receive services from the female gender than men. A working environment with women people tends to build connections through sharing ideas and insights. The aspect of diversity allows people from different religious backgrounds to share their views and perspectiv...