what is the social impact of diversity in australia

The Aboriginal peoples developed their accommodation with the environment over a period of at least 40,000 years, during which time they had little contact with the outside world. Indeed, biologists and anthropologists have long believed that humans fared better than other species because contact with unknown others brought about a variety of benefits that cannot be attained by interactions exclusively with members of our groups. Studies have shown that good governance on a country and regional level increase generalised trust and render an otherwise negative impact of diversity insignificant (Murtin etal., 2018[45]; Delhey and Newton, 2005[41]). [14] Pletzer,J. etal. The majority of country-specific studies focuses on the UnitedStates. In 2012, the Federal Government launched the National Anti-Racism Strategy, an initiative of its multicultural policy, The People of Australia. Race hatred laws have been one of the vital foundations for our enviable multicultural society. By 2031, it is estimated that this number will exceed one million, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprising 3.9 per cent of the population. Access to this content in this format requires a current subscription or a prior purchase. The average correlation was .05, i.e. We provide education about human rights to improve awareness, understanding and respect for rights in our community and Ill discuss this with you in the context of racial discrimination a little later. 53, pp. 2015/1. Social diversity is initially threatening but people do adapt over time However the term of the Australian Multicultural Council came to an end on 30 June 2014, and the Government has not articulated what the future of the Australian Multicultural Council will be. For high-skilled migrant workers, their findings are not significant. Please select the WEB or READ option instead (if available). The authors argue that this may be linked to too much board monitoring. I acknowledge that legislation alone is not a panacea for racism. Twice he has now been subjected to racist slurs while on the football field. Pride in Diversity an employer support program that encourages Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI . First, the individual or interpersonal level, which includes everyday racism that happens with speech, glances. 1175-1185. Diversity and inclusion | Australian Government Department of Health (2010), The Gender and Ethnic Diversity of US Boards and Board Committees and Firm Financial Performance. Academia has reacted to these changes with growing concern about the implications of social diversity. 52/3, pp. This appears to be linked to biased managers interacting less with minorities, thereby leading minorities to exert less effort (Glover, Pallais and Pariente, 2017[25]). For attitudes and behaviour to change we need a multifaceted response one that incorporates education, policy and legislation. AT http://www.scanlonfoundation.org.au/research.html (viewed 23 June 2014).Demireva, N. (2014). However, given the breadth of studies in this area, findings can be interpreted as giving an indication on the impact of diversity on team performance. Therefore, economic models of cultural diversity mostly focus on only one dimension. On average, however, more gender equal boards have a negative effect on corporate performance. The Scanlon Foundation Surveys National Report. 57-75. Report prepared for: Joint Commonwealth, State and Territory Research Advisory Committee (RAC) March 2013. Briefing: Immigration, Diversity and Social Cohesion. (2011), Getting Specific about Demographic Diversity Variable and Team Performance Relationships: A Meta-Analysis, Journal of Management, Vol. This suggests that there may be an optimal level of migrant diversity when it comes to innovation (Dohse and Gold, 2014[6]). This provision is so broad it is difficult to see any circumstances in public to which the protections would apply. The Scanlon Foundation utilises five indicators for social cohesion: I think you will all agree that in general Australia is a cohesive society, this backed by the research. Australia - Cultural life | Britannica [34] Alesina,A. and E.La Ferrara (2005). Furthermore, gender-diverse boards allocate more effort to monitoring, while CEO compensation is found to be more sensitive to stock performance. Similarly, if the gender gap in labour force participation across the OECD were to be reduced by 25% by 2025, this could add one percentage point to projected baseline GDP growth across the OECD over the period 2013-25, and almost 2.5percentage points if gaps were halved (OECD, 2017[48]). [7] Bratti,M. and C.Conti (2014), The effect of (mostly unskilled) immigration on the innovation of Italian regions, IZA Discussion Paper No. [2] Balestra,C. and L.Fleischer (2018), Diversity statistics in the OECD:How do OECD countries collect data on ethnic, racial and indigenous identity?, OECD Statistics Working Papers, No. This can be seen as an indication that board diversity is more than a numbers game, but that the context and gender stereotypes matter, for example whether women or minorities on boards have a de facto equal standing when it comes to decision making. [40] Baldwin,K. and J.Huber (2010), Economic versus Cultural Differences: Forms of Ethnic Diversity and Public Goods Provision, American Political Science Review, Vol. I encourage you all to take a stand against racism - to borrow the words of Adam Goods: if you say nothing or do nothing, nothing changes. You might recall the incident in which a French woman was abused for singing the Marseilleilles, and an ABC reporter, Jeremy Fernandez was racially abused while taking his daughter to school by bus. whether employees perceive their workplace as open towards diversity, has a positive impact on the branchs performance. Studies on how diversity affects productivity at the firm-level, using representative data are rare. Finally, the chapter notes ethical reasons for fostering a just and equitable labour market alongside the economic argument for diversity. is the online library of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) featuring its books, papers, podcasts and statistics and is the knowledge base of OECD's analysis and data. Benefits of Social Diversity | Organizational Behavior and Human Relations Social diversity is a global issue - and it has contributed to major geopolitical events such as Brexit and the fractious nature of the European refugee crisis. One answer to the need for S18C lies in the facts as I mentioned earlier we have seen dramatic increase of 59% in complaints based on racial vilification and hatred. Socioeconomic Status Explained - Diversity for Social Impact Despite some contradictory findings, evidence generally points to a negative relationship between diversity and these indicators of social cohesion, although findings vary strongly across countries, level of analysis and the inclusion of moderating factors. Similar results are found for US cities (Ottaviano and Peri, 2006[32]). I commend the bipartisan support for this dinner and the commitment from both political parties in ensuring that this features on the annual calendar of Parliament House. The words offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate were drawn from the much earlier Sex Discrimination Act of 1984. [14] Pletzer,J. etal. Social Diversity - The Complete Guide [2023] | Diversity & Social 99-126. taking into account how this may impact the behaviour of supply, demand and prices in the overall economy, it nevertheless demonstrates that there are substantial macroeconomic gains in increasing labour market inclusion. Measurement of team performance includes multiple indicators, such as efficiency, creativity, innovation and productivity. It is a tremendous psychological blow because it is something that I experienced from age 5 to now and I am often left feeling helpless and vulnerable for days afterwards., It makes me feel like I am lower than everyone else, an intruder who is not part of this society.. As a nation we recognise that the expansion of labour markets, skills and capital gives us the necessary competitive edge to compete in an increasingly globalised world. What is Social Diversity? | Life Persona The economic dimension, however, is not the justification upon which efforts to foster diverse workforces ultimately rest. Our findings show that, despite initial resistance, humans can cope with the documented challenges of diversity. Research on firm performance has assessed how diversity in executive boards affects profitability, how performance within teams may change and how higher diversity within firms influences productivity and wages. 559-627. [32] Ottaviano,G. and G.Peri (2006), The economic value of cultural diversity: evidence from US cities, Journal of Economic Geography, Vol. [12] Parrotta,P., D.Pozzoli and M.Pytlikova (2014), Labor diversity and firm productivity. The lack of diversity in Australian politics has been apparent for years. [27] Cooke,A. and T.Kemeny (2017), Cities, immigrant diversity, and complex problem solving, [28] Docquier,F. etal. [11] stergaard,C., B.Timmermans and K.Kristinsson (2011), Does a Different View Create Something New? 18/5, pp. Research in Australia shows that racial minorities, including Indigenous Peoples and migrants from non-European backgrounds, are adversely impacted by racism across diverse domains including the labour market, health, education, sport and the criminal justice system (Anthony & Blagg, 2020; Cunneen, 2006; Mansouri et al., 2012; Priest et al., 2012 Indigenous Australians: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander - AIATSIS To understand the place of these laws in our society it is important to consider why they were introduced in the first place. 44/3, pp. Australia's rich diversity is reflected in its older population. The diversity of ways Australians are and aren't religious or spiritual impacts on social policy, education, and interreligious relations. gender board diversity explained around two-tenths of the 1% variance in company performance, while on other indicators, such as stock performance and shareholder returns, the effect was not statistically significant. 2018/02, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/869ef2ec-en. These changes have had many positive effects such as filling important gaps in the labour market and challenging cultural insularity. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. The research highlights that social cohesion in Australia is relatively strong; however racial discrimination is a barrier to and destroys social cohesion, peace and harmony. the benefits of firms and people located near to each other (Bellini etal., 2008[31]). 4. What is social impact? Quite evidently, the economic exclusion or inactivity of large population groups comes at a high cost, particularly against the backdrop of demographic change related to ageing populations and increasing shares of groups that have been traditionally disadvantaged in the labour market, such as people with disabilities, migrants and ethnic minorities. However, the relationship between diversity and social cohesion is not clear-cut. Creativity and innovative thinking: teams with diverse backgrounds, experiences and ideas, Lower productivity: e.g. Strong community engagement provides opportunity, builds wealth, promotes social harmony, and ensures greater equality and justice for all citizens. [18] Trax,M., S.Brunow and J.Suedekum (2015), Cultural diversity and plant-level productivity, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Vol. Looking at regions within 12 EU countries,4 higher immigrant diversity is found to have a positive impact on the productivity and wages of natives. [21] Bell,S. etal. 104/4, pp. The laws provide accountability for acts that offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate on racial grounds, and provide a remedy to those that have been the subject of racial abuse. : An assessment of their (in)effectiveness using administrative data., http://oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190274801.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190274801-e-13, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264281318-en. In 2016, more than one-third (37%) of Australians aged 65 and over were born overseas and one-fifth (20%) were born in a non . Overall, these findings from meta-analyses seem to suggest that team diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity or age do not matter much for team performance. For example, Joshi and Roh (2009[22])find that higher shares of women and ethnic minorities have a small negative impact in majority male or white teams, but a positive impact when teams are more balanced. We have Commissioners in the areas of race, sex, disability, childrens rights, Indigenous rights and also a Human Rights Commissioner is focussing on the rights and freedoms found in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Elements of social diversity can include ethnicity, lifestyle, religion, language, tastes and preferences. I think it is also important to highlight that the Racial Discrimination Act as applied by the courts and administered by the Australian Human Rights Commission has successfully resolved hundreds of complaints about racial hatred over the past two decades. [30] Bove,V. and L.Elia (2017), Migration, Diversity, and Economic Growth, World Development, Vol. [11] stergaard,C., B.Timmermans and K.Kristinsson (2011), Does a Different View Create Something New? Under our statutory mandate we have several functions: We also participate in international bilateral programmes with China and Vietnam, and our experience through these technical cooperation programs has been that our regional neighbours often look to us to share learn from our experience. When asked: Have you experienced discrimination because of your skin colour, ethnic origin or religion? 19% of respondents answered yes to the question; an increase of 7% on the previous year. Research into the Current and Emerging Drivers for Social Cohesion, Social Division and Conflict in Multicultural Australia. Mapping Social Cohesion 2013. [22] Joshi,A. and H.Roh (2009), The role of context in work team diversity research: A meta-analytic review, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. It has become clear that exclusion, discrimination and vilification on the grounds of race exists as an undeniable element of our otherwise successful multicultural society. Internationally, multiculturalism in Australia is seen as a success story, and stands as a good example on how to build a cohesive and inclusive society. The Commission is Australias national human rights institution accredited with an A status under the Paris Principles. Findings of a survey of Human Resource professionals across a range of OECD countries (see Box2.1 for more detail) also show that participating firms have become increasingly concerned with this topic; around two in three think that the topic of diversity management has become more important in their firm in the past fiveyears. The campaign now has support from organisations across business, sport, education, local government and civil society. This is particularly likely in settings where people encounter each other as equals and as part of a routine or with a common goal, e.g. 46, pp. But the potential benefits can only be realised if organisations foster a conducive atmosphere for their diverse workforce. No.10239, Institute for the Study of Labor. 41/5, http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00483481211249157. These findings point in the same direction as the literature focusing on the firm level, as they suggest that diversity is likely to have a stronger positive impact in high-skilled employment. I caution the Government to consult widely and extensively before making any changes, as any amendments to the legislation have the capacity to affect the human rights of all Australians. We are all aware of the incidents involving Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes. The negative impacts of social decent variety have expanded assorted variety and scattering. Experiencing discrimination can lead to poor health both physically and mentally, taking years of life expectancy. [32] Ottaviano,G. and G.Peri (2006), The economic value of cultural diversity: evidence from US cities. [45] Murtin,F. etal. ), The Oxford Handbook of Social and Political Trust, Oxford University Press, http://oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190274801.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190274801-e-13. Thus, organisational practices, diversity management and non-discrimination policies can be important levers to make the most of a diverse workforce. (2018), Trust and its determinants: Evidence from the Trustlab experiment, OECD Statistics Working Papers, No. Miles Hewstone received funding for the project discussed in this article from the Nuffield Foundation. Striking 'Hike' In Productivity 2. [3] UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). 987-1015. [2] Markus, P. (2013). The Commissions position is that in the current form, the exposure Bill as drafted should not proceed. [13] Post,C. and K.Byron (2015), Women on Boards and Firm Financial Performance: A Meta-Analysis. [20] Schneid,M. etal. Some examples of how multiculturalism has affected the social and political spheres are found in revisions of curricula, particularly in Europe and North America, and the expansion of the Western literary and other canons that began during the last quarter of the 20th century.Curricula from the elementary to the university levels were revised and . The link between social cohesion and racism has been established by a report that was prepared by independent researchers for the Joint Commonwealth, State and Territory Research Advisory Committee. [39] Laurence,J. (2016), Gender Quotas: Challenging the Boards, Performance, and the Stock Market, IZA Discussion Paper, No. The Commission considers that, at the very least, a requirement of good faith should be included. Economic and social impact of increasing Australia's humanitarian It is central to our national identity. [35] Montalvo,J. and M.Reynal-Querol (2014), Cultural Diversity, Conflict, and Economic Development, in Ginsburgh, Victor A. Throsby,D. [24] Gonzalez,J. and A.Denisi (2009), Crosslevel effects of demography and diversity climate on organizational attachment and firm effectiveness. It is generally accepted that these predispositions play a role in the formation of groups and the societal structures we live in. Mapping Social Cohesion 2013. on ethnic diversity, see also Balestra and Fleischer (2018[2])), on the other hand, quantifying diversity is not an easy endeavour given the multiple groups any person belongs to (gender, ethnicity, age, religion etc.). 31/1, pp. Parrotta, Pozzoli and Pytlikova (2014[12]) find for Denmark that diversity in educational background has no impact on patent applications, whereas diversity in country of origin among employees has a positive impact. More diversity in education and gender appears to boost innovation while the impact of migrant diversity is not significant. If they do not, and are there as a token gesture or simply to comply, perhaps reluctantly, with legislation, then their presence on a board is likely to have little impact. Much has been written about this topic, but one major question remains unanswered: are human beings able to adapt to this unprecedented change in social diversity? [8] Ozgen C, Nijkamp P and J.Poot (2013), The Impact of Cultural Diversity on Firm Innovation: Evidence from Dutch micro-data, IZA Journal of Migration, Vol. [19] Horwitz,S. and I.Horwitz (2007), The Effects of Team Diversity on Team Outcomes: A Meta-Analytic Review of Team Demography, Journal of Management, Vol. The Attorney-General has talked of a multi-front war being waged against freedom of speech and proposes new provisions to strengthen this freedom. (2016), Gender Quotas: Challenging the Boards, Performance, and the Stock Market. Deloitte US | Audit, Consulting, Advisory, and Tax Services This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice tothe status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. The literature shows that a number of factors have a strong mediating impact; social exclusion and disadvantage, inequality, inter-group contact and social interactions as well as the role of governance and institutions are important explanatory factors. Accounting for these characteristics generally increases the size of the relationship between team performance and diversity and therefore partially explains the mixed results of individual studies. 9-44. This evening I would like to discuss the: Before I go any further I would like to show a quick clip this is part of our Racism. S18C makes it unlawful for a person to do a public act that is reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate a person if done because of the race or national origin of the person. In recent years the Australian Multicultural Council has played an important leadership role in this regard. [46] Kemeny,T. and A.Cooke (2017), Urban Immigrant Diversity and Inclusive Institutions. Douglas Massey receives funding from the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Behavior. Of particular significance is the removal of the requirement that acts be done reasonably and in good faith. As hypothesised, we found that in the short term, individuals react negatively to changes in religious diversity, experiencing a dip in their quality of life. [15] Ferrari,G. etal. 2018/09, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/89bae654-en. Similarly, panel data on US states over the 1960-2010 period indicates that diversity among highly educated immigrants has positive impact on economic growth, whereas diversity among low-skilled migrants has a no effect (Docquier etal., 2018[28]). The 2018 Leading for Change report from the Australian Human Rights Commission showed that only 4% of federal MPs had non-European ancestry, compared to 19% of the Australian population. We found that the initial negative effects were being driven by a reduction in trust of others around them in countries, with increased religious diversity. 1011-1033. [42] Alesina,A., J.Harnoss and H.Rapoport (2014), Immigration, Diversity and Attitudes to Redistribution: A European Perspective. Social Science & Medicine, 73 (7): 10451053. Before I begin I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, the Traditional Owners of the land upon which we gather today. This may suggest that when women or ethnic minorities are perceived as newcomers rather than just another colleague, more intra-group conflict may arise or minorities may have difficulties in being heard and taken seriously. They also show that, by focusing only on the short term, we may draw an inaccurate, pessimistic conclusion about the impact of diversity. Through multiculturalism, the Australian experience has shown has that diversity can go hand in hand with a stronger social cohesion. It Stops with me website, and if you are part of a sporting organisation, club or business and you think they would be interested in supporting the campaign all the details of how to do so and what is involved is on the website. [44] Pettigrew,T. etal. 76-97. Oxfam Australia commissioned Deloitte Access Economics to analyse the economic and social impact an expanded refugee program may have on Australia's economy and society. (2016), Age diversity and team outcomes: a quantitative review, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. Although internationally we are often seen as a good example of multicultural society that welcomes diversity, racism does exist in Australian society. Table2.2 provides a snapshot of the studies discussed in the following. Prosperity in diversity. 56/1, pp. Findings are somewhat mixed, but impacts of gender, ethnicity or age diversity are found to be either very small or insignificant. Before I move on to the issue of racism in Australia, Id like to provide you with a brief overview of the Australian Human Rights Commission. Social Impact: Definition and Why is Social Impact Important? More than ever before, our communities are changing in terms of their ethnic and religious composition. (2010[17]) present similar results for the impact of ethnic diversity in boards in the UnitedStates, which is found to have no significant impact on firm performance. in the workplace or at school, as such interactions can help reduce anxiety and increase empathy (for an overview, see Pettigrew et al., (2011[44])). Term Definition; Diversity "The condition of having or being composed of differing elements" [4] Social Diversity "A successful community in which individuals of different race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, language, geographical origin, gender and/or sexual orientation bring their different knowledge, background, experience and interest for the benefit of their . Through this complaints service, the Commission is also aware that racial vilification on social media is a significant issue for many Australians. Joshi and Roh (2009[22]) show in a more fine-grained analysis that contextual factors, such as type of industry and the relative share of women or ethnic minorities in these teams have a moderating impact on team performance. Sue brings over 15 years of HR and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion consultation experience. That public awareness campaign is a central part of the National Anti-Racism Strategy that the Commission leads. [50] Verbeek,S. (2012), Do hard diversity policies increase ethnic minority representation? Businesses or organizations achieve these goals through conscious and deliberate efforts or activities in their operations and administrations. Nearly a year after the infamous comments of a teenage girl, Goodes was again the target of racism at an Essendon game in May. Much of the literature on team performance and diversity belongs to the field of social psychology and management studies and assesses how diverse teams operate at the firm level. While these estimates are not based on a general equilibrium model, i.e. Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford, Professor of Sociology, Princeton University, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, University of Birmingham, Emeritus Professor of Social Psychology and Public Policy, University of Oxford. The ethnic and religious composition of many modern societies has been dramatically changed by global modernisation. 173-191. Much of this literature therefore tests the underlying assumption that more diverse companies can make better decisions and products because women and minorities differ in their knowledge, experiences or management styles and therefore can bring new insights and perspectives. [37] Letki,N. (2008), Does Diversity Erode Social Cohesion? This index accounts both for the heterogeneity of a population as well as the size of different population groups. The effects are major deepen and expansive then merely hurt feelings. 1546-1571. They find that more gender equal boards have a beneficial effect in companies where shareholder rights are weak and more monitoring is thus beneficial, while the impact is negative for companies with strong shareholder rights. Also on the AFL field, Melbournes Neville Jetta was subjected to racial abuse during a game against the Western Bulldogs. They argue that this may reflect that immigrants skills and education often remains underutilised in the Italian labour market. This video reminds us that there are practical things all of us can do to counter prejudice and discrimination. due differences in worldviews, discrimination, Trade facilitation and new markets: easier access to markets abroad, better understanding of diverse customer base, new clients, Increased availability of goods and services: e.g. Results for Germany show a smaller effect, but similar pattern (Suedekum, Wolf and Blien, 2014[29]). Some studies seek to quantify the cost of continuing non-inclusion of diverse populations. The strategy involves a partnership of organisations. Employers will increasingly feel the cost of discriminatory behaviour in the context of growing labour market shortages, as their competitiveness will suffer from irrational hiring preferences (Gary Becker, 1957). Through an exposure draft the Government has outlined its intent to lift the ban on offending, insulting and humiliating someone over their race, colour or ethnicity. Social and Economic Impacts of Racism | SpringerLink

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