Index Of Dissimilarity Essay

This paper is about the index of dissimilarity, which can be used to measure racial segregation. First, I will explain what the index of dissimilarity is and how it works in measuring segregation. Then, I will describe the concept of evenness using analogous examples for better understanding. From this paper, one may be able to comprehend the index of dissimilarity.
To begin, the index of dissimilarity is a numerical value derived from proportions that compare two different groups spread across components to a larger area. In the case of racial segregation, the index of dissimilarity compares races across neighborhoods within the metropolitan area. When looking at the proportions between a neighborhood and the city there are 3 main index ranges in measuring segregation. If the index falls between 0 and .30 then the city is said to have low segregation and be more integrated. If the index lies between .31 and .60 then the city is said to have moderate segregation and …show more content…
The tray will represent the metropolitan area and the individual brownies represent each neighborhood. If each brownie has the same proportion of nuts and chocolate chips as all the other brownies then the tray is said to be integrated meaning it is “even” and has a dissimilarity index of 0. If half the tray of brownies only contained nuts and the other half contained only contained chocolate chips then it would be segregated, which gives it a dissimilarity index of 1. Using this analogy, one should be able to understand the index of dissimilarity better. Overall, the index of dissimilarity is an essential unit of measurement in describing inequality across components to a whole. In racial segregation, comparing the proportions of racial distributions in neighborhoods across a city helps determine the level of segregation or integration of the