Race

Most people think about race in terms of physical differences, such as how people or groups of people look. Cultural practices can also affect people’s ideas about race.

A person’s race is determined by their ancestry and/or their genetic background, and cannot be changed by culture or ethnicity. For instance, you may be Caucasian (a person of European origin, or white) but come from an Italian background. Someone with an Italian background may have completely different cultural practices to a Caucasian that originates from England.

Race divides people into categories depending on physical characteristics. This is usually dependent on the genetic makeup of their ancestors.

Within the workplace, you may come across many people whose different appearances, languages and birthplaces indicate that they belong to a certain race. Many people will also look at you as representative of a certain race. It is important that these differences and representations do not become a problem because of prejudices or stereotypes that some people have about race.