A minority or subordinate group is a sociological group that does not constitute a politically dominant plurality of the total population of a given society. A sociological minority is not necessarily a numerical minority — it may include any group that is disadvantaged with respect to a dominant group in terms of social status, education, employment, wealth and political power. To avoid confusion, some writers prefer the terms "subordinate group" and "dominant group" rather than "minority" and "majority".

In socioeconomics, the term "minority" typically refers to a socially subordinate ethnic group (understood in terms of language, nationality, religion and/or culture). Other minority groups include people with disabilities, "economic minorities" (working poor or unemployed), "age minorities" (who are younger or older than a typical working age) and sexual minorities (whose sexual orientation or gender identity differs from the sociological norm).

The term "minority group" often occurs alongside a discourse of civil rights and collective rights which gained prominence in the 20th century. Members of minority groups are subject to differential treatment in the society in which they live. This discrimination may be directly based on an individual's perceived membership of a minority group, without consideration of that individual's personal achievement. It may also occur indirectly, due to social structures that are not equally accessible to all. Activists campaigning on a range of issues may use the language of minority rights, including student rights, consumer rights and animal rights. In recent years, some members of social groups traditionally perceived as dominant have begun to present themselves as an oppressed minority, such as white, middle-class heterosexual males.See, for example: Gates, David. White Male Paranoia: Say It Loud. They’re White and They’re Cowed. But Are They Victims of Multiculturalism, or Are They Just Bad Sports? Newsweek, 29 March 1993: 48-53.
See also: the 1993 film Falling Down.
Ferber, Abby L. (2000). Racial Warriors and Weekend Warriors: The Construction of Masculinity in Mythopoetic and White Supremacist Discourse. Men and Masculinities, Vol. 3, No. 1, 30-56 (2000)

More on [ Minority group ]

Minority Groups - Twitter Search

@lucorico I agree w/ @SusieMay. they have no strngr influence then other groups. Jews r extremely sml minority. I'm not seeing undue influnc
rochtrev (Rochelle) Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:37:28 -0000
@lucorico I agree w/ @SusieMay. they have no strngr influence then other groups. Jews r extremely sml minority. I'm not seeing undue influnc
Economic Stimulus Package May Be Leaving Out Some Minority Groups: A new report finds tha... http://bit.ly/6Q8Gn7
MPBNews (MPBNews) Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:23:13 -0000
Economic Stimulus Package May Be Leaving Out Some Minority Groups: A new report finds tha... http://bit.ly/6Q8Gn7
refocus project - empower #minority groups through #photography to document their lives http://bit.ly/5SFcml
tanzmax (mass tanz) Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:35:59 -0000
refocus project - empower #minority groups through #photography to document their lives http://bit.ly/5SFcml
Are Minorities Getting Shafted in the Health Care Bill?: Minority groups disproportionately us.. http://cli.gs/3W9zH #tcot #hcr #hc09
rd1776 (Re-Deliver 1776) Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:47:25 -0000
Are Minorities Getting Shafted in the Health Care Bill?: Minority groups disproportionately us.. http://cli.gs/3W9zH #tcot #hcr #hc09
Nouri:Protesters should distance themselves frm small minority of antiregime groups http://tinyurl.com/yadaxx8 #iranelection (@mikverbrugge)
media4iran (Media 4FreeIran) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:31:44 -0000
Nouri:Protesters should distance themselves frm small minority of antiregime groups http://tinyurl.com/yadaxx8 #iranelection (@mikverbrugge)
RT @MikVerbrugge: Nateq Nouri:Protesters should distance themselves from small minority of anti-regime groups http://tinyurl.com/yadaxx8
gheseh2000 (Afsaneh ) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:08:34 -0000
RT @MikVerbrugge: Nateq Nouri:Protesters should distance themselves from small minority of anti-regime groups http://tinyurl.com/yadaxx8

Subscribe to Minority_Groups RSS feed