Multicultural Communities
Despite the apparent racial mix in many cities, a significant number of immigrants choose to live with people from similar areas and away from others with different ethnicity and culture. This represents segregation.
Why do people chose to cluster in the same area as their fellow immigrants:
· support from others – people feel safe and secure when they can associate with other people from the same background. There is a sense of belonging and protection from racial abuse
· a familiar culture – in a strange country, there is comfort from being with people who have similar ideas and beliefs and speak the same language
· specialist facilities – in many areas these are provided so that, for example, Sikhs can worship in a Gurdwara and Moslems in a mosque. Familiar foodstuffs will be
available in shops
· safety in numbers – people have a stronger voice if they are heard as a groups, rather than individually
· employment factors – immigrant groups tend to do low-paid jobs or have a high rate of unemployment. They have limited money and so can only afford cheaper housing in
certain parts of the city, usually inner city areas
The attempts made to integrate different ethnic groups and reduce segregation:
· increasing children’s achievement by improving educational provision and opportunities in deprived areas; and seeking to improve literacy in areas where English can be a
second language
· increasing employment through initiatives to ensure basic skills and access to information and training
· increasing community involvement by ensuring that the needs of minority groups are understood and met
· providing facilities that encourage meetings of all sections of a community rather than separate ethnic groups
Interesting map
The world’s most racist countries. People in different countries were ask who would they most not like to live next to. The % shown is the % of people who answered with ‘a person of a different race’.
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