Assignment 2

26 April 2018

SOC240 World Cultures

Evaluating Cultures in Your Community

It is terrifying to learn how much life varies from person to person based purely off differences in culture and demographic. People can be impacted by so many differences in their lives. Being a female makes one more likely to be below the poverty line than a male. The younger one is, the less likely they are to be protected by healthcare coverage. Being born Black or Native American makes one 21-24% less likely to be above the national median personal income than a White person (Yau, The Demographics of Others, 2018). Becoming a production worker, construction worker, or farmer makes it far more likely one will have to wake up at a much earlier hour of the day than most other people (Yau, This is an American Workday, By Occupation, 2018). Those with only one parent have a much smaller community to gain support and understanding from compared with those that have two adult figures in the household (Yau, Most Common Family Types in America, 2018). Demographics even determine where one is most likely to live. If one is Black, they are, almost without exception, relegated to the southeastern US (Yau, Mapping the Most Common Races, 2018). Whether by race, gender, age, occupation, or family type, there are multiple ways to compare people to learn about differences and similarities between different demographics and cultures. As for me, I come from a white middle-class background with a conservative religious upbringing. Looking at the numbers, I find it disturbing how advantaged I am simply because of whom I was born to, when, and my Y-chromosome.

As far as similarities between my own culture and the cultures of others are concerned, being White automatically makes me like most Americans, seeing as they form the largest racial group in the US (Yau, Mapping the Most Common Races, 2018). I found it interesting that my age had little effect on my likelihood to be below the poverty line. It’s comforting in a way, because it means that I will, more or less, be just as likely to be able to provide for myself in my old age as I am now. Women in my same age and racial group are just as likely to take public transportation to work. I would have assumed that women would be less likely to take public transportation out of fear of aggressive male behavior, but it is comforting to see that women consider public transportation just as safe for themselves as men do. The last similarity I noticed between my own demographic group and others was that people born of other races were just as likely as me to be self-employed. It’s nice to see that the self-made American dream seems to catch people of all nationalities and races (Yau, The Demographics of Others, 2018).

Sadly, most other cultures are greatly disadvantaged compared to my own. A woman otherwise identical to me is far more likely to be below the median national income. The same goes for anyone Black, Native, or Hispanic. Those same racial groups are less likely to have healthcare coverage, a Bachelor’s degree, or even a wife (Yau, The Demographics of Others, 2018). Hopefully, as society continues to improve, those differences will dwindle. Differences are good, but not when it comes to physical well-being.

Armed with an awareness of these differences in demographics, I can now pay attention to how I treat coworkers or customers I work with. If I ever end up in a leadership position, I can pay attention to how I am paying people of different cultural backgrounds, and make sure I am paying them all fairly. Knowing what spectrum of racial groups live in an area allows me to check it against a company I work in and make sure that we reflect those same demographics. People of all demographics should have a fair chance to provide for themselves and those they care about.

References Yau, N. (2018, April 26). Mapping the Most Common Races | FlowingData. Retrieved from FlowingData: http://flowingdata.com/2015/05/04/map-of-most-common-race/ Yau, N. (2018, April 26). Most Common Family Types in America | FlowingData. Retrieved from FlowingData: http://flowingdata.com/2016/07/20/modern-family-structure/ Yau, N. (2018, April 26). The Demographics of Others | FlowingData. Retrieved from FlowingData: http://flowingdata.com/2018/01/23/the-demographics-of-others/ Yau, N. (2018, April 26). This is an American Workday, By Occupation | FlowingData. Retrieved from FlowingData: http://flowingdata.com/2017/05/17/american-workday/