Some groups are small in a big group.
They may have different ways to talk. They may have different ways to pray. Sometimes, things are not fair to them. People work hard to make things fair. Do you see many different people?
Sometimes, a group of people is small. They may have different ways to talk. They may have different ways to pray.
These groups are called minorities. This does not always mean they are small in number. It can mean they have less power.
In some places, things were not fair. Some groups were treated poorly. They could not make the rules.
Many people work to change this. They want everyone to be treated the same. They want things to be fair for all.
It is good to see many different people.
A minority group is a group of people in a society. Most people think this means the group is small. It often means they have fewer people than the majority. But the word can also mean something else. In school, experts use it to talk about power. A minority group might be very large in number. However, they may have less power than the main group.
In South Africa, this happened during a time called Apartheid. White Europeans held most of the power. Black Africans were the minority group. This was true even though there were more black Africans.
People can belong to a minority group for many reasons. They might have a different race or religion. They might have a different language or culture. Some people belong to more than one group at once.
Sometimes, these groups face unfair treatment. This is called discrimination. It can happen in schools or at jobs. Many people work hard to change this. They want laws that protect everyone. They want all people to have the same rights.
Caption: People come together to celebrate different groups.
A minority group is a group of people in a society. Most people think this means the group is small. They might think it only refers to a small number of people. However, experts use the term in a different way. They look at who holds power in a country. A group can be very large but still be a minority. This happens if they have less power than the main group.
Power is the main thing that defines these groups. In sociology, a minority group often lacks social or political strength. They might face unfair treatment in many parts of life. This can happen in schools or at jobs. It can also happen in healthcare or housing. This unfair treatment is called discrimination. Sometimes, the rules of a country make it hard to get equal chances.
History shows us how this works in real life. During Apartheid in South Africa, things were very unfair. White Europeans held almost all the social and political power. Black Africans were the minority group in that system. This was true even though there were many more black Africans. This shows why numbers are not the only way to measure a group.
People join these groups for many different reasons. Some belong because of their race or their religion. Others might have a different language or culture. A person can even belong to two groups at once. This idea is called intersectionality. For example, someone could be a racial minority and a religious minority. In the United States, non-Hispanic Whites are the majority group.
Many people work hard to make things better for everyone. They want to protect the rights of all groups. They push for laws that offer equal legal protections. These laws help make sure everyone has the same status. Some thinkers suggest new names for these groups. One person, Harris Mylonas, suggested the term "non-core group." This helps clear up confusion about who holds the power.
A minority group is a social category with complex meanings. In common usage, it refers to a group with the lowest number of people. This usually means they make up less than half of a population. However, in sociology and politics, the term describes power structures. A group is considered a minority if they are disempowered compared to a dominant group. This means they may lack social, economic, or political control. Therefore, a group can be very large numerically but still be a minority.
Academics often use the term to describe relative disadvantage. This happens when a dominant social group holds most of the influence. For example, during Apartheid in South Africa, white Europeans held almost all power. Black Africans were the minority group in this system. This was true even though they vastly outnumbered white Europeans. To avoid confusion, scholar Harris Mylonas proposed the term "non-core group." He uses this for groups seen as unassimilated by the ruling elite. He reserves "minority" for groups that have specific legal minority rights.
Membership in these groups is often based on observable characteristics. These can include ethnicity, race, or religion. Other categories include sexual orientation and disability. A person might belong to several groups at the same time. This concept is known as intersectionality. For instance, someone could be both a racial and religious minority. Conversely, a person might be part of a minority in one way but part of a dominant group in another. This complexity shows that identity is not always one-dimensional.
Sociologist Louis Wirth defined these groups through the lens of treatment. He said they are singled out for unequal treatment due to physical or cultural traits. These people often see themselves as objects of collective discrimination. Scholar Joe Feagin identified five specific characteristics of a minority group. They experience discrimination and subordination. They possess traits that the dominant group disapproves of. They share a sense of collective identity and common burdens. They follow socially shared rules about membership. Finally, they often show a tendency to marry within the group.
Historically, the definition of "minority" has shifted significantly. In the 19th century, the term mostly referred to political parties. It included well-off people who feared losing influence to new voters. It also included less popular parties in two-party contests. This changed after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and 1920. The conference applied the term to ethnic, national, and religious groups. It defined them as people differing in race or language from the majority. The League of Nations Minorities Commission later used this framework. Protecting these groups was seen as a way to prevent future wars.
Minority groups often face discrimination in many areas of life. This can affect housing, employment, healthcare, and education. Discrimination can come from individuals or through structural inequalities. Structural inequality means that rights and opportunities are not equally accessible. People fighting for minority rights pursue laws to protect these groups. They want to ensure equal social status and legal protections. In the United States, non-Hispanic Whites make up 58.4% of the population. All other racial and ethnic groups are classified as minorities there.
There are different types of minorities, such as racial and national groups. Racial minorities are often called people of color. Modern racism grew from classifications during the Age of Exploration. Some countries use different systems to categorize people. The United Kingdom often categorizes by ethnicity rather than race. Ethnicity includes shared culture, religion, traditions, and language. National minorities are groups with close links to a specific territory. Some minorities are involuntary, meaning they were brought into a society against their will. Others are voluntary, such as immigrants moving to a new country.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (1)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.