Minority


 
 
Minority

The definition of a minority group can vary, depending on specific context, but generally refers to either a sub-group that does not form either a majority or a plurality of the total population, or a group that, while not necessarily a numerical minority, is disadvantaged or otherwise has less power (whether political or economic) than a dominant group. Examples of minorities in this latter context include women in some countries and African Americans in Mississippi in the 1920s.http://academic.udayton.edu/race/01race/minor01.htm

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In a socio-economic context, the term "minority" tends to refer to groups of people who, according to a particular set of criteria, are fewer in population than other ethnic groups. All criteria for ethnicity have bearing on designating a minority — language, nationality, religion, culture, lifestyle, or sexual orientation. Often this means it is outnumbered by at least one other sub-group, but not always. In the United States, the term minority typically refers to members of the non-white population, but as the numerical, social, economic, political and cultural influence of whites erodes over time in the US, and the "browning of America" is now an irreversible process, the wisdom of using the term "minority" to identify non-whites is increasingly questioned and considered offensive.

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In politics, a minority government may be one which is formed by a party with a plurality of seats in the national legislature, when no majority party exists.

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Group: The term group can refer to several concepts:...

Majority: A majority is a subset of a group that is more than half of the entire group. This should not be confused with a plurality, which is a subset having the largest number of parts. A plurality is not necessarily a majority, as the largest subset may be less than half of the entire group....

Plurality: A plurality (or "relative majority") is the largest share of something, which may or may not be a majority. For example, if an election had three candidates, who received 40%, 25%, and 35% of the vote, the candidate with 40% would have a plurality, but not a majority. Some elections or voting meth...


Minority related Images and Photos (experimental)

Minority Report
Minority Report
Minority Report DVD
Minority Report DVD
Ethnic Minority Performers from South West China's Guizhou Province
Ethnic Minority Performers from South West China's Guizhou Province

~ Table of Content ~

Introduction
In sociology
In politics and government
See also
Links
 
FR: Minorité nationale


 

~ Related Subjects ~

Plurality (2) - Majority (2) - United States (1) - Sexual orientation (1) - Lifestyle (1) - Subset (1) - Runoff voting (1) - Borda count (1) - First Past The Post (1) - Culture (1) - Ethnic groups (1) - People (1) - Group (1) - Ethnicity (1) - Religion (1) -
 

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