Diversity Attitudes
Diversity Attitudes:
The dimension of Diversity Attitudes builds on the concept that each individual is unique, which means it is fair to recognize our individual differences. These may include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs or other ideologies.
This dimension describes the attitude roles, power and authority associated with each gender, race, religion, country of origin and locals vs. foreigners. Regarding gender, it has become clear to us that while men's roles are relatively static in societies, women’s roles and access to employment and power will vary widely from culture to culture. Another interesting aspect of gender definition is the way women dress in business. Again, men are in a static position for the most part. They wear business suits or shirts and ties, but women’s dress varies. For instance in the USA, successful business women will dress in a rather androgynous manner. They are careful not to be seen as seductive. In contrast, in several Latin and European cultures, women will dress in a much more feminine way. This should not be misconstrued. They are not being provocative. For a culture that is low on diversity attitudes, personal differences are seen as enhancing the business and social environment. The roles of men and women are not delineated and are viewed as fluid. Abilities are more important than gender. People see it as an asset to respond in many different ways, rather than having just one right way to do things. If people have many different ways to respond, the society sees it as enriching people’s ability to perform.
Cultures that place high importance in diversity attitudes typically see differences in gender opportunities and roles as the natural order of things. Women’s roles will typically be confined to raising children, maintaining households and nurturing professions. People will be very surprised to find a woman in a “man’s job." Uniformity and homogeneity are glorified and even foreigners who have lived in the country for many years may not be fully accepted.