Diversity

In a social context, the term diversity refers to the presence in one population of a wide variety of cultures, opinions, ethnic groups, et cetera.

It is often used in conjunction with the term tolerance in political creeds which support the idea that such diversity is valuable and desirable.

Some conservatives claim that in the political arena, diversity is a code word for forcing people to tolerate or approve people and practices they find repugnant. They claim that pluralism is a more accurate term for the presence of variation, and that, under the banner of "diversity," groups actually forbid criticism of "protected groups" by restricting what they call hate speech.

In a business context, diversity is approached as a strategy for improving employee retention and increasing consumer confidence. The "business case for diversity", as it is often phrased, is that in a global and diverse marketplace, a company whose makeup mirrors the makeup of the marketplace it serves is better equipped to thrive in that marketplace than a company whose makeup is homogenous. Business diversity consultants often treat the social consequences of diversity as secondary; their primary focus is to enable the company to function in a heterogeneous or global economy. Companies with diversity programs are usually national or international in scope, or are composed of large groups of workers who come from differing backgrounds.