Unit 1: Concepts and Perspectives of

Community

Lesson 1.5
Diversities in Communities
Contents
Introduction 1

Learning Objectives 2

Let’s Connect 2

Discover 3
What Is Diversity? 4
Diversity in Various Perspectives and Contexts 4
Culture 4
Gender and Sexual Orientation 5
Race and Ethnicity 5
Age 6
Social Class 6
Ability or Disability 6
Religion 6
Factors Affecting Diversity 7

Wrap-Up 9

Try This! 10

Challenge Yourself 12

Reflect on This 13

Photo Credit 14

Bibliography 14
Unit 1: Concepts and Perspectives of

Lesson 1.5

Diversities in Communities

Introduction
Interconnectedness in the modern world is continuously expanding due to vast
advancements in technology. Through various technological tools, we can now
communicate and integrate with people from di fferent parts of the world. As a result,
societies become more multicultural because of the sharing of ideas and values.

The concept of diversity focuses on creating understanding and acceptance of di fferent

cultures. Today, the phrase “unity in diversity” is promoting the shift of how diversity
and inclusion can shape and improve learning and human experiences. In
communities, this can enrich harmony and cooperation. This lesson will allow the
students to recognize and appreciate diversity and its importance in communities.

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Learning Objectives DepEd Learning Competency

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to
In this lesson, you should be able to recognize diversities in communities (HUMSS_CSC-12-IIIa-
do the following: c-4).

● Define diversity in various

perspectives and contexts.
● Identify the different
factors affecting diversity.
● Understand the various
perspectives and contexts
of diversity in the
community.

Let’s Connect

Name Stories 20 minutes

This activity will allow the students to appreciate diversity in their class by discovering the
different stories and experiences of their classmates.

Instructions
1. Divide yourselves into three big groups.
2. In each group, take turns in sharing stories about your names or nicknames, its
meaning, why you were given that name, and how you relate to their names.
3. The guide questions that follow will be used for reflection.

Guide Questions
1. How did the activity influence your perception of your classmates?

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2. How did the activity help you understand diversity within your group?

3. Why do you think it is important to be aware of diversity within a community?

Discover
According to Page (2015), “diversity is defined as differences in how we see the world, how we
think about the world, how we try and solve problems, the analogies we use, the metaphors, the
tools we acquire, the life experiences we have—makes us better at what we do.” From this
statement, we can understand how diversity works to our advantage. Diversity results in
having multiple perspectives that enable the community to solve various problems.

In addition, fostering diversity leads to learning about unique human experiences, from
privilege to social injustice. Through the awareness of these experiential differences,
members of the community can work together with minorities or the marginalized in
challenging social injustices and inequalities. Working with marginalized communities can
help address oppression, which results in social change and the strengthening of
communities.

As discussed in the previous lesson, shared identity is important in fostering unity and
community solidarity, especially in addressing societal issues. Diversity goes hand-in-hand
with shared identity by providing di fferent worldviews and perspectives that can help solve
the community’s problems.

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How can we recognize diversity in our communities?

What Is Diversity?
Diversity refers to differences existing among individuals and within groups. It can be in
the form of characteristics such as skills, traits, or experiences. Diversity can also be in the
form of factors that shape our identity, including age, racial background, cultural
background, gender, and religion, among other factors.

The concept of diversity is related to the virtues of respect and acceptance. Diversity
is essential in promoting understanding and recognizing individual or group di fferences.
It also involves exploring these differences with tolerance and providing a safe and
positive environment for everyone, regardless of their demographic and philosophical
differences.

Moreover, diversity involves a conscious practice of understanding the interdependence

of culture and humanity, showing mutual respect, challenging discrimination, sustaining
opportunities for the disadvantaged, and building alliances.

Diversity in Various Perspectives and Contexts

Diversity is evident in various contexts: culture, gender, age, race and ethnicity, social class,
ability or disability, and religion. Our differences in terms of these contexts challenge us
to become more accepting and understanding of other people and their backgrounds.

Culture
Diversity in culture is related to di fferences within communities in terms of shared
meanings and experiences that are transferred from one generation to the next. This
may include differences in beliefs, values, traditions, socialization practices, language,
social roles, and normalized ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.

Recognition of cultural diversity is necessary to protect cultural minorities and their way
of life from rapid modernization and social change.

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Fig. 1. Diversity awareness is the first step to acceptance of

differences.

Gender and Sexual Orientation

Gender involves socially constructed ideas such as perceptions, expectations, attitudes, and
roles of being male or female. For example, some jobs were previously deemed by
society as more appropriate for men rather than women. However, experiences in modern
society show that women are also proficient in traditionally male occupations.

Sexual orientation is an individual’s identity relating to the gender to which they are
emotionally and romantically attracted. Some of the common sexual orientations are
heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality, and asexuality, among others. For
an increasing number of people, their gender and sexual orientation have been a source of
stigma and discrimination.

Race and Ethnicity

Diversity in race can often be identified through physical and biological criteria such as skin
color, hair color and texture, and facial features. However, racial di fferences are not
observed only through these differences but also through economic, historical, and
social factors. On the other hand, ethnicity refers to a group’s identity based on
ancestry and affiliation to a certain cultural group. Ethnicity should not be interchanged
with nationality. Nationality is one’s status of belonging to a state or country by birth or
naturalization.

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Some of the social movements today are centered on racial equality. Movements like Black
Lives Matter are fighting for the rights of Black people, especially in the face of violence and
discrimination.

Age
The context of age in terms of diversity deals with how people of di fferent developmental
stages have varying experiences about power dynamics, relationships, health, and
community participation. According to community psychologists, children, adolescents, and
adults vary in skills, values, and attitudes; these differences affect their community life.

Social Class
Social class may include individuals’ and groups’ financial and material wealth, education,
and occupation. It is a socially constructed basis of one’s position in society that often
indicates power and privilege. People who have greater material wealth are more likely to
exercise influence in society.

Ability or Disability
Disabilities are overt or covert conditions that may challenge individuals of different
ages or social groups. For example, developmental disabilities or learning disabilities are
those that can affect one’s experiences in socialization, education, and employment.
Disabilities may be caused by physical, economic, historical, and social factors. People with
disabilities often face challenges in accessibility of services and resources, especially when a
community has not properly considered or planned for their needs.

Religion
Religion, just like culture, are sets of beliefs, values, symbols, feelings, and behaviors that
lead to community cohesion. What sets it apart from culture is its emphasis on beliefs,
rituals, and relationships with the divine. Di fferent religions manifest these in varying ways.
Some religions are viewed more positively than others, leading to discrimination of
practitioners of less favorably viewed religions.

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Check Your Progress

How does diversity in different contexts affect a person’s life?

Factors Affecting Diversity

Several factors significantly affect diversity in communities. These are attitudes that
influence people’s way of recognizing and appreciating di fferences. These are discrimination
and stereotypes.

Discrimination is described as “the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups

based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation” (Pascoe and
Richman 2009, 532). An example is how lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders are
reported to have been receiving o ffending criticisms, being declined for opportunities, and
being sexually assaulted.

Fig. 2. Street art advocating for community diversity

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Stereotyping is the overgeneralization of beliefs toward a particular category of people.

Expectations are set about a group’s characteristics like personality, preferences, ability, and
appearance. These expectations are often inaccurate and misrepresents who these people
are. Stereotyping can lead to prejudice or discrimination. An example of a stereotype
against Filipino overseas workers is that they only get low-paying jobs abroad, but actually,
there are also highly qualified overseas Filipino professionals.

Check Your Progress

Why is it important to recognize diversity in communities?

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In Philippine Context
The Philippines’ as an archipelagic country means it is rich in diversity. The country’s
diversity is evidenced by the number of cultures and languages found in the country,
including Tagalog or the base of the Filipino language, Cebuano, Hiligaynon,
Kapampangan, Waray, and Bicolano, among others.

Aside from language, the Philippines is also diverse in terms of ethnicity. There are over
134 recognized ethnic groups in the country, and the majority are considered as
indigenous peoples or IPs. These tribes often reside in rural communities or in remote hilly
and mountainous areas in the country. These people have their own dialects and their own
set of beliefs and practices, and they are often independent from technology.

Today, foreigners such as Chinese and Koreans are also found in the country.
Foreigners residing in the Philippines who engage in business contribute to the
economic growth of our country.

Wrap-Up
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
● Diversity refers to the differences existing among individuals and within groups. It
can include characteristics such as skills, traits, experiences, and other factors that
shape our identity including age, racial background, cultural background, gender,
and religion, among other factors.
● Diversity is evident in various contexts: culture, gender, age, race and ethnicity,
social class, ability or disability, and religion.
● Discrimination is described as “the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and
groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation”
(Pascoe and Richman 2009, 532).
● Stereotyping is the overgeneralization of beliefs toward a particular category of
people with regard to their personality, preferences, ability, and appearance.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Try This!
A. Identification. Identify the terms described in each statement. Write your answer
on the space provided.

1. These are overt or covert conditions that challenge individuals

of different ages or social groups.

2. This is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups

based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual
orientation.

3. This refers to the overgeneralization of beliefs toward a

particular category of people.

4. This context of diversity deals with how developmental stages

from childhood to adulthood have differing experiences.

5. This refers to a community's shared meaning and

experiences that are transferred from one generation to the
next.

6. This refers to a person’s identity based on emotional and

romantic attractions toward certain genders.

7. This refers to a group’s identity based on ancestry and

affiliation to a certain cultural group.

8. It is a socially constructed basis of one’s position in society

often related to one’s material wealth.

9. This aspect of diversity puts emphasis on beliefs, rituals, and

relationships with the divine, faith, and spirituality.

10. Diversity in this aspect deals with the socially constructed ideas
of being male or female.

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B. Short-Response Essay. Answer the following questions briefly and coherently.

1. How are gender and sexual orientation interrelated? Explain your answer.

2. How do race and ethnicity differ from one another?

3. How does recognizing diversity help communities?

4. What are the virtues that surround diversity and why are they important?

5. In what ways do discrimination and stereotyping affect diversity in communities?

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Challenge Yourself
Short-Response Essay. Write a short essay that expresses your insights on the given
questions below.

1. Assess your community in terms of diversity. Discuss whether diversity in the

various perspectives and contexts is recognized in your communities.

2. Applying what you have learned about the factors affecting diversity, discuss
how these are observed or experienced among Filipino communities.

Suggested Rubric for Grading

The rubric below is a suggested one. Your teacher may modify the rubric based on your
needs. Consult your teacher for the final rubric.

Performance Levels

1 2 3 Suggested
Criteria Score
Beginning Proficient Advanced Weight
Proficiency Proficiency

Content Less than half of the More than half of All of the answers
answers are coherent the answers are are coherent and
and plausible. plausible.
×3
coherent and
plausible.

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Completeness Less than half of More than half of All the required
the concepts are the concepts are concepts are stated ×2
stated accurately. stated accurately. accurately.

Language Less than half of the More than half of All answers are
answers are the answers are grammatically
grammatically correct grammatically correct correct and free ×1
and free from spelling and free from spelling from spelling errors.
errors. errors.

Total Possible Score 18

Reflect on This
Short-Response Essay. Write a short essay that expresses your insights on the given
question below.

Considering the diversity in our country, what can you say about our ability to tolerate,
accept, and respect these diversities? Provide situations to support your answer.

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Photo Credit
Respect by Davide Taviani is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr.

Bibliography
American Psychological Association. “Discrimination: What It Is and How to
Cope.“ https://www.apa.org/topics/racism-bias-discrimination/types-
stress.

Boquet, Yves. “The Diversity of the Philippine Population.” In The Philippine Archipelago,
159–79. New York: Springer International, 2017.

Cox, William T. L., Lyn Y. Abramson, Patricia G. Devine, and Steven D. Hollon. “Stereotypes,
Prejudice, and Depression.” Perspectives on Psychological Science 7, no. 5 (September
2012): 427–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691612455204.

Judd, Charles M., and Bernadette Park. “Definition and Assessment of Accuracy in Social
Stereotypes.” Psychological Review 100, no. 1 (1993): 109–28.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.100.1.109.

Page, Scott E. "Ability and Diversity: The Academy and the Cognitive Economy." Lecture at
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, April 22, 2015.

Pascoe, Elizabeth A., and Laura Smart Richman. “Perceived Discrimination and Health:
A Meta-Analytic Review.” Psychological Bulletin 135, no. 4 (2009): 531–54.
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016059.

Queensborough Community College. “Definition of Diversity.” Accessed March 3, 2021.

https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/diversity/definition.html.

Swartz, Talia H., Ann-Gel S. Palermo, Sandra K. Masur, and Judith A. Aberg. “The Science
and Value of Diversity: Closing the Gaps in Our Understanding of Inclusion and
Diversity.” The Journal of Infectious Diseases 220, no. 2 (2019): 33–41.
https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiz174.

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Thai, Nghi D., and Ashlee Lien. “Respect for Diversity.” In Introduction to Community
Psychology: Becoming an Agent of Change, edited by Leonard A. Jason, Olya
Glantsman, Jack F. O'Brien, and Kaitlyn N. Ramian, 141–59. Montreal: Rebus
Community Press.
https://press.rebus.community/introductiontocommunitypsychology/chapter/resp
ect-for-diversity/.

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