Essay on Race, Ethnicity, And Ethnicity

Race and ethnicity can vastly affect family life, whether it is through traditions that a race or ethnicity has or due to the way our population treats that group of people. There are stereotypes attached to certain groups, which can make it challenging for members of that group to succeed if people continue to label them as being a certain way. Racial inequality is another issue that can greatly affect families, especially those in minority groups. As a population, if we continue to learn to be more open and accepting, we can hopefully eliminate many of these issues. Although they may seem similar, race and ethnicity have completely different meanings. Cohen explains that “a race is a group of people believed to share common descent, based on perceived innate physical similarities” (2015:75). Race is more biological and is based on things like skin or eye color. When someone has children, their race is passed on to their children. Ethnicity, according to Cohen, is “a group of people with a common cultural identification, based on a combination of language, religion, ancestral origin, or traditional practices.” (2015:79). Ethnicity includes things like the language a group speaks or a religion they practice. One of the major differences between race and ethnicity is that your ethnicity can change with time, while your race is more stable. Ethnicity can even vary depending on who you are hanging out with. People may act a certain way around their relatives and a…