EFP1 Task 1
Thoughts on Cultural Diversity
There are many aspects of culture and diversity. Culture is defined as the sum of attitudes and beliefs that distinguish one group of people from another. Culture is transmitted through language, material objects, ritual, institutions and art from one generation to the next. Diversity is defined as variety, the inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, sexual orientation, etc.
There are many aspects of diversity which include race, ethnicity, physical ability, age, gender, sexual orientation. The four aspects of diversity that have most affected my personal identity are race, age, gender, and physical ability.
Gender is one of the most easily of observed areas of cultural diversity. As a woman, especially one living in the south, I am expected to look and act a certain way. I am to be presentable at all times. There are expectation in the way I speak but act as well. The way I am supposed to dress is also defined by our culture. There are certain jobs that I am expected to have and others I am not. The thing with culture is it not only is the visible images we are to portray there are invisible ones as well. Others assume that because I am a woman I am less than a man. There are certain ways I am expected to think as well. What people fail to realize is that I am a very strong willed individual. I am quite educated. I may live in the south now, but I was born and raised in the mid-west. I have held jobs that a typical woman is not expected to have. All of these things have shaped me into the person I am. Being a woman comes with many expectations placed on us by our culture, but visible and invisible.
Physical ability is another area of cultural diversity that is many times overlooked when going through our day to day lives. When I tell someone that