,Tables
1.1 Foreign-born Population as a Proportion of the Total Population in G8 Countries
and Australia
1.2 US Population by Race and Ethnicity (%)
1.3 Sources of Immigration to the US by Era
1.4 Population by Ethnic Origin in Canada, 2016
1.5 Immigrant Population by Place of Birth and Period of Immigration, 2006
1.6 Visible Minority Population in Canada, 2011
1.7 Generation Status of Visible Minority Population in Canada, 2016
1.8 Historical Population Statistics in the UK
1.9 Ethnicity of the Non-UK-born Population by Period of Arrival, England and Wales,
2011
1.10 Australian Historical Population Statistics
1.11 Statistics of a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Australia
2.1 Occupation Distribution of Recently Arrived Immigrants in the US
2.2 Employment Status of the US Civilian Non-institutional Population by Age and
Race, 2016
2.3 Participation, Employment and Unemployment Rates by Racialised Groups in
Canada, 2006
2.4 Diversity and Inclusion Staff Size by Employer Size
,3.1 Differences between Principles of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management
4.1 Major US Legislation Related to Workplace Discrimination
4.2 Major Canadian Legislation Related to Workplace Discrimination
4.3 Major UK Legislation Related to Workplace Discrimination
4.4 Major Australian Legislation Related to Workplace Discrimination
5.1 2017 Top 50 Companies for Diversity
5.2 Benefits of Diversity Management in Australia
C.1 Major Legislative Responses to the Changing Identifications of Diversity in the US,
Canada, the UK and Australia
, 1 Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism(s): A Short Introduction
The concept of multiculturalism emerged from the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
Ethnic minorities and women’s equality groups were dissatisfied because of the lack to progress
to end inequality through civil rights legislation. Many immigrants and racioethnic groups living
in multi-ethnic societies felt that their dreams had not been realised (Nkomo and Hoobler 2014).
The advance and retreat of multiculturalism has been present in various countries, except Canada,
where multiculturalism has been the most prominent worldwide. To start with the advance of
multiculturalism, reference must be made to the increased migration starting in the 1960s, which
led to the formation of multiculturalist policies in developing countries and the developed societies
of North America, Western Europe and Australasia. A change of attitude occurred in the host
countries with the new wave of migration, whereby the previous policies of assimilation that
expected immigrants to adopt the majority culture became neither necessary nor desirable
(Crowder 2013).
The term ‘multiculturalism’ was coined in Canada and became the nation’s official policy in
1971. It gained some popularity in the 1980s and 1990s in other migrant-receiving countries, such
as the US, the UK and Australia. There are varied definitions of multiculturalism, yet, overall,
multicultural ideologies tend to encourage and appreciate different cultural groups, including their
experiences and contributions. Multiculturalism encourages these groups to maintain their culture
and cultural identities, and emphasises the notion that no group is superior or privileged (Nkomo
and Hoobler 2014). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) (2006, 17) stated that ‘the term multicultural describes the culturally diverse nature of
human society. It not only refers to elements of ethnic or national nature, but also includes
linguistic, religious and socio-economic diversity’. A distinction is generally made between two
different meanings of multiculturalism: an empirical concept that refers to cultural and moral
diversity, and a normative concept that celebrates cultural plurality (Jahanbegloo and Parekh
2011). A multicultural society is distinguished by cultural diversity, and multiculturalism is
considered a normative doctrine because it represents a specific approach to that diversity
(Jahanbegloo and Parekh 2011). In other words, multiculturalism has three core dimensions:
(a) a reflection of a country’s ethnocultural demographic diversity, (b) a political philosophy aimed at
recognising and accommodating the differences that achieve objectives based on the above political
philosophy, and (c) a public policy instrument to help achieve objectives based on the above political
philosophy.
(Ng and Bloemraad 2015, 620)
However, multiculturalism does not have a straightforward definition, and depicts multiple
meanings. Interestingly, to complicate matters further, America’s multiculturalism is not the same
as that of Europe—the histories, origins, intentions and present practices are not the same, and the
future will not be the same either. Therefore, the meaning of multiculturalism, both in theory and
practice, can vary from one place to another, especially when comparing attitudes towards
multiculturalism in countries in Western and Eastern Europe; North, Central and South America;
1.1 Foreign-born Population as a Proportion of the Total Population in G8 Countries
and Australia
1.2 US Population by Race and Ethnicity (%)
1.3 Sources of Immigration to the US by Era
1.4 Population by Ethnic Origin in Canada, 2016
1.5 Immigrant Population by Place of Birth and Period of Immigration, 2006
1.6 Visible Minority Population in Canada, 2011
1.7 Generation Status of Visible Minority Population in Canada, 2016
1.8 Historical Population Statistics in the UK
1.9 Ethnicity of the Non-UK-born Population by Period of Arrival, England and Wales,
2011
1.10 Australian Historical Population Statistics
1.11 Statistics of a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Australia
2.1 Occupation Distribution of Recently Arrived Immigrants in the US
2.2 Employment Status of the US Civilian Non-institutional Population by Age and
Race, 2016
2.3 Participation, Employment and Unemployment Rates by Racialised Groups in
Canada, 2006
2.4 Diversity and Inclusion Staff Size by Employer Size
,3.1 Differences between Principles of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management
4.1 Major US Legislation Related to Workplace Discrimination
4.2 Major Canadian Legislation Related to Workplace Discrimination
4.3 Major UK Legislation Related to Workplace Discrimination
4.4 Major Australian Legislation Related to Workplace Discrimination
5.1 2017 Top 50 Companies for Diversity
5.2 Benefits of Diversity Management in Australia
C.1 Major Legislative Responses to the Changing Identifications of Diversity in the US,
Canada, the UK and Australia
, 1 Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism(s): A Short Introduction
The concept of multiculturalism emerged from the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
Ethnic minorities and women’s equality groups were dissatisfied because of the lack to progress
to end inequality through civil rights legislation. Many immigrants and racioethnic groups living
in multi-ethnic societies felt that their dreams had not been realised (Nkomo and Hoobler 2014).
The advance and retreat of multiculturalism has been present in various countries, except Canada,
where multiculturalism has been the most prominent worldwide. To start with the advance of
multiculturalism, reference must be made to the increased migration starting in the 1960s, which
led to the formation of multiculturalist policies in developing countries and the developed societies
of North America, Western Europe and Australasia. A change of attitude occurred in the host
countries with the new wave of migration, whereby the previous policies of assimilation that
expected immigrants to adopt the majority culture became neither necessary nor desirable
(Crowder 2013).
The term ‘multiculturalism’ was coined in Canada and became the nation’s official policy in
1971. It gained some popularity in the 1980s and 1990s in other migrant-receiving countries, such
as the US, the UK and Australia. There are varied definitions of multiculturalism, yet, overall,
multicultural ideologies tend to encourage and appreciate different cultural groups, including their
experiences and contributions. Multiculturalism encourages these groups to maintain their culture
and cultural identities, and emphasises the notion that no group is superior or privileged (Nkomo
and Hoobler 2014). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) (2006, 17) stated that ‘the term multicultural describes the culturally diverse nature of
human society. It not only refers to elements of ethnic or national nature, but also includes
linguistic, religious and socio-economic diversity’. A distinction is generally made between two
different meanings of multiculturalism: an empirical concept that refers to cultural and moral
diversity, and a normative concept that celebrates cultural plurality (Jahanbegloo and Parekh
2011). A multicultural society is distinguished by cultural diversity, and multiculturalism is
considered a normative doctrine because it represents a specific approach to that diversity
(Jahanbegloo and Parekh 2011). In other words, multiculturalism has three core dimensions:
(a) a reflection of a country’s ethnocultural demographic diversity, (b) a political philosophy aimed at
recognising and accommodating the differences that achieve objectives based on the above political
philosophy, and (c) a public policy instrument to help achieve objectives based on the above political
philosophy.
(Ng and Bloemraad 2015, 620)
However, multiculturalism does not have a straightforward definition, and depicts multiple
meanings. Interestingly, to complicate matters further, America’s multiculturalism is not the same
as that of Europe—the histories, origins, intentions and present practices are not the same, and the
future will not be the same either. Therefore, the meaning of multiculturalism, both in theory and
practice, can vary from one place to another, especially when comparing attitudes towards
multiculturalism in countries in Western and Eastern Europe; North, Central and South America;
