Cultural Diversity Essay: Topics, Tips, & Example

Benefits & challenges of cultural diversity.

  • 💡 51 Essay Topics
  • 📑 Outlining Your Paper
  • ✍️ Essay Example

🔗 References

🎎 cultural diversity essay: the key issues.

What does cultural diversity mean? That’s what we need to understand before we start writing. Cultural diversity is when several cultures are mixed.

The picture contains cultural diversity definition.

Take America, for example.

You can taste a vast number of national cuisines. Or you can hear a lot of national music. All that is due to different cultures co-existing here together.

Cultural diversity can be confused with multiculturalism. The first concept means the way society deals with multiple cultures in one place. The second one assumes that the more cultures interact, the better. And there are many ways this interaction can go.

The picture lists the two types of multiculturalism theories.

There are two main theories of multiculturalism :

  • The melting pot theory. That holds the idea of different cultures “melting” together. They lose their individual features completely, forming one single culture. The situation with American immigrants shows this pretty well.
  • The salad bowl theory. The less grim theory describes not full but partial cultural losses. The cultures here don’t cease to exist in order to become one. They rather co-exist, keeping their uniqueness intact. Sounds great, but it leaves more room for discrimination and conflicts.

Cultural diversity is an issue that affects several aspects. Mostly education, business, and the economy in general. And every issue has its pros and cons. Here are some good things and challenges that cultural diversity can bring to a business company.

Cultural diversity benefits:

  • More competitive teams
  • More markets available
  • New cultural horizons
  • More creativity
  • More skills

Cultural diversity challenges:

  • Risks of misunderstandings
  • Problems with productivity
  • Risks of unhealthy competition
  • More stereotypes
  • More red tape
  • Diverse cultures – diverse teams. And diversion in a group leads to more perspectives on issues the team faces. It keeps the atmosphere fresh and competitive. And as long as you keep this competitive spirit healthy, you are good to go.
  • More cultures – more markets available. Diverse companies have more information about foreign markets. Thanks to the fact that for some employees, foreign markets are not foreign at all. As a result, you are less likely to create an offensive ad or product.
  • More diverse – more attractive. Trying to find employees with different cultures can be beneficial. You may find a hidden talent for your company. And attract new applicants by opening new cultural horizons.
  • More diversity – more creativity. An international team focuses on different experiences in one place. And such a team always comes out with a stream of fresh ideas.
  • More diversity – more skills. People with different cultural backgrounds have different skill sets. With that, your company would have way more possibilities. Coming up with a new product or service will become a much easier task.
  • Different cultures – different etiquette. Business etiquette is something that differs from culture to culture. It can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or conflicts within the team.
  • Different people – different ways to work. Workers from Europe are used to the idea of individuality. Asian employees tend to work as a single organism. Now imagine what happens if you make these folks work together. Correct, a lot of problems with productivity that you’ll need to solve.
  • More cultures – more competition. And as we said before, you always need to keep this competition in check. Once it stops being healthy, you will have some voices of the team silenced. And some others will become needlessly loud.
  • More cultures – more stereotypes. And stereotypes can lead to barriers between employees. You don’t want your team to fight over nationality issues. So, you should prepare to fight possible prejudices that can occur.
  • More foreigners – more red tape. This is a purely practical problem. Law that covers foreigners’ work conditions can be tricky to follow. Additional expenses, necessary documents, and accommodation. All of this need attention, so make sure to give it.

💡 51 Cultural Diversity Essay Topics

Making a cultural diversity essay topic is easy and complicated at the same time. The vastness of the issue gives a lot of possible options. But choosing the option you want can be a bit tricky. Here are some ideas for a possible topic.

  • Cultural diversity now and in the medieval ages.
  • Multiculturalism is the best way to handle diversity in cultures.
  • What misunderstandings can occur between Asian and European business people?
  • Tensions between the British and the French: roots and misconceptions.
  • Can cultural diversity be unethical?
  • Possible alternatives to a multicultural society.
  • The importance of language in forming a culture.
  • What are the musical tastes of different cultures?
  • Women in Muslim societies: the kingdom of strangers.
  • Art as a source of cultural knowledge.
  • Hispanic American diversity.
  • Creating a culturally diverse company in America and China: compare and contrast.
  • Diversity & discrimination of women in the workplace.
  • Traditional music as a way to know the culture.
  • Aboriginal and Chinese Australians: cultural diversity.
  • Cultural diversity as a business practice.
  • Diversity at the workplace: problem and importance.
  • The myth of Irish people being drunks.
  • The ethnic diversity in the U.S. metropolitan areas.
  • The role of women in different cultures.
  • Cultural movement: hip-hop-related films.
  • Comparing the most and the least diverse countries in the world.
  • Issues of cross-cultural communication.
  • Integrating refugees into society and the way to do it right.
  • Women and economics: historical and or cultural change.
  • The role of the Internet in cultural diversity.
  • Cross-cultural communication and barriers.
  • Studying abroad. What to prepare for and how to adjust your cultural background.
  • Socio-cultural contributions to gender roles.
  • The American and the Chinese take on education.
  • Universalism vs. cultural relativism in human rights.
  • The vital role of cultural heritage.
  • Intercultural and cross-cultural communication research.
  • The connection between globalization and cultural diversity.
  • Family, cultural legacies, and identity formation.
  • Different attitudes towards children in different cultures.
  • Cultural and traditional values’ importance in society.
  • The wrongs of The Melting Pot theory.
  • Different aspects of intercultural nonverbal communication.
  • The art of making a gift in different countries.
  • Chinese culture and cross-cultural communication.
  • The biological necessity of cultural diversity.
  • Intercultural relationship and communication.
  • Cultural diversity in healthcare.
  • Intercultural assumptions, prejudices and viewpoints.
  • How to promote cultural diversity in schools? The right and the wrong ways.
  • Multicultural competence and cultural identity.
  • Diversity awareness is a part of any rational mind.
  • Cross-cultural differences and interactions.
  • The issue of some cultures being violent.
  • Food anthropology as the study of food in diverse cultures.

Need more ideas? You are welcome to use our title-making tool !

📑 Cultural Diversity Essay Outline

Every essay needs planning first, and you will need an outline for that. An outline for an essay on cultural diversity has a lot in common with any other essay layout. Let’s see an example of one.

Cultural Diversity Essay Introduction

The introduction serves 3 goals:

  • grab readers’ attention,
  • provide them with a thesis statement,
  • give background information.

The introduction leads your audience to the topic and gives an overall impression of the following text.

An introduction usually includes:

  • Background information. Information that the reader needs to know before going deeper into the essay.
  • Hook. Serves an attention-grabbing purpose. A hook is usually a controversial or intriguing statement that makes the reader interested in further material.
  • For example: “All Irish people are drunks, and all French people like to surrender, right? Wrong.”
  • Thesis statement. A thesis gives the general idea of the whole essay. This one can be a huge pain to make. Shortly speaking, it must be concise, brief, and open for discussion. For example:

“While cultural diversity creates a lot of problems, multiculturalism that encourages every culture and discovers new ways to fight prejudice can be the best solution.”

Cultural Diversity Essay Body

The body of an essay is the most significant part of it. In a 5-paragraph work , your body will consist of 3 paragraphs. Each should describe one of the arguments you used to support your thesis.

Cultural Diversity Essay Conclusion

It’s the last paragraph of your assignment that sums up all the text above. You don’t need to add anything new in a conclusion . Just restate your position and show how your arguments helped you prove it.

✍️ Cultural Diversity Essay Example

And finally, let’s take a look at a complete sample of a cultural diversity essay.

Taking note of the disparities in ethnicity, income, health, locations, and education between the two groups described in the foregoing discussions, one cannot fail to recognize the importance of cultural competence in providing various services, including food services to different ethno-cultural groups in the U.S. society. To achieve cultural competence in a food service organization, it is imperative for food service directors to make various accommodations in the workplace. Making culturally competent accommodations in the workplace is essential for a number of reasons listed in the below paragraphs.

The number of aging Americans is projected to increase by the year 2030, and, according to the Healthy People 2010 report, there is a need to eliminate disparities in service delivery by encouraging outreach to the underserved populations, including those in economic need, minorities, and elderly people (85 years and over) (Reppas, Rosenzweig and National Policy and Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging, Florida International University par. 3). As a result, nutrition programs form the basis for promoting health, and therefore it is important for food service providers to promote the provision of culturally competent services through acquiring and training culturally sensitive staff (Reppas et al. par. 4).

Most importantly, there is a need for food service staff and volunteers, especially those serving the elderly population, which comprise people from diverse cultures, to have relevant cultural competency skills, such as compassion, respect, and empathy to ensure that their services are appreciated and valued by the primary customers (Reppas et al. para. 4-6).

Today’s business culture demands that an organization recruits and retains a diverse workforce by creating an environment that accommodates and values the employees’ knowledge, values, beliefs, culture, and skills. This can be achieved through integrating culturally competent values into the organization’s mission, business strategies, and vision. As a result, this move will encourage employees to share their ideas, skills, and innovations, which will contribute to the success and growth of the entire organization.

A culturally diverse workplace encourages equity and increases staff skills in different departments, especially customer care where language skills and cultural competence are imperative because of the need for the staff to understand and communicate efficiently with the primary customers. In a culturally diverse environment, employees are given the opportunity to interact and learn from their colleagues. This experience exposes them to new ideas and skills for decision making, which will result in responsive service delivery to people from different cultures.

And with that, all that is left to do is wish you good luck on your assignment. By the way, if you’ll need to make a title page for your cultural diversity essay, you might want to use our title page generator .

Let us know which part of the article you found the most useful, and have a great day! Thank you for your time.

❓ Cultural Diversity FAQ

What does cultural diversity mean.

Cultural diversity is a situation when several cultures co-exist together. The bigger the number – the more diverse community is. The term can include representation and acknowledgment of each culture.

How to promote cultural diversity in schools?

Promoting diversity in a school can be achieved in various ways. Hiring a diverse team of teachers or organizing student meetings. Having regular open conversations on inequality is also a good idea. All of that can contribute to the cause significantly.

How to promote cultural diversity in the workplace?

Diversity in the workplace can benefit from different things:

  • Forming multicultural teams.
  • Encouraging less represented cultures.
  • Hiring mentors to work the issue through.

How do you promote cultural diversity in early childhood?

Letting your child interact with members of different cultures can be incredibly beneficial. It will erase any possibility of forming a prejudice. The market lately is blooming with children’s literature covering diversity issues. Make sure to use it well.

  • Cultural diversity – UNESCO
  • The Importance of Diversity in the Classroom | Drexel University
  • Multiculturalism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
  • Culture and diversity – NSW Department of Education
  • What Is Multiculturalism? Definition, Theories, and Examples
  • Multiculturalism | Definition, Impact, Challenges, & Facts

Original Research Papers: What Does Originality Mean?

177 dream research topics & how to write a research paper on dreams.

Have a language expert improve your writing

Check your paper for plagiarism in 10 minutes, generate your apa citations for free.

  • Knowledge Base
  • College essay
  • How to Write a Diversity Essay | Tips & Examples

How to Write a Diversity Essay | Tips & Examples

Published on November 1, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.

Table of contents

What is a diversity essay, identify how you will enrich the campus community, share stories about your lived experience, explain how your background or identity has affected your life, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Diversity essays ask students to highlight an important aspect of their identity, background, culture, experience, viewpoints, beliefs, skills, passions, goals, etc.

Diversity essays can come in many forms. Some scholarships are offered specifically for students who come from an underrepresented background or identity in higher education. At highly competitive schools, supplemental diversity essays require students to address how they will enhance the student body with a unique perspective, identity, or background.

In the Common Application and applications for several other colleges, some main essay prompts ask about how your background, identity, or experience has affected you.

Why schools want a diversity essay

Many universities believe a student body representing different perspectives, beliefs, identities, and backgrounds will enhance the campus learning and community experience.

Admissions officers are interested in hearing about how your unique background, identity, beliefs, culture, or characteristics will enrich the campus community.

Through the diversity essay, admissions officers want students to articulate the following:

  • What makes them different from other applicants
  • Stories related to their background, identity, or experience
  • How their unique lived experience has affected their outlook, activities, and goals

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Think about what aspects of your identity or background make you unique, and choose one that has significantly impacted your life.

For some students, it may be easy to identify what sets them apart from their peers. But if you’re having trouble identifying what makes you different from other applicants, consider your life from an outsider’s perspective. Don’t presume your lived experiences are normal or boring just because you’re used to them.

Some examples of identities or experiences that you might write about include the following:

  • Race/ethnicity
  • Gender identity
  • Sexual orientation
  • Nationality
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Immigration background
  • Religion/belief system
  • Place of residence
  • Family circumstances
  • Extracurricular activities related to diversity

Include vulnerable, authentic stories about your lived experiences. Maintain focus on your experience rather than going into too much detail comparing yourself to others or describing their experiences.

Keep the focus on you

Tell a story about how your background, identity, or experience has impacted you. While you can briefly mention another person’s experience to provide context, be sure to keep the essay focused on you. Admissions officers are mostly interested in learning about your lived experience, not anyone else’s.

When I was a baby, my grandmother took me in, even though that meant postponing her retirement and continuing to work full-time at the local hairdresser. Even working every shift she could, she never missed a single school play or soccer game.

She and I had a really special bond, even creating our own special language to leave each other secret notes and messages. She always pushed me to succeed in school, and celebrated every academic achievement like it was worthy of a Nobel Prize. Every month, any leftover tip money she received at work went to a special 509 savings plan for my college education.

When I was in the 10th grade, my grandmother was diagnosed with ALS. We didn’t have health insurance, and what began with quitting soccer eventually led to dropping out of school as her condition worsened. In between her doctor’s appointments, keeping the house tidy, and keeping her comfortable, I took advantage of those few free moments to study for the GED.

In school pictures at Raleigh Elementary School, you could immediately spot me as “that Asian girl.” At lunch, I used to bring leftover fun see noodles, but after my classmates remarked how they smelled disgusting, I begged my mom to make a “regular” lunch of sliced bread, mayonnaise, and deli meat.

Although born and raised in North Carolina, I felt a cultural obligation to learn my “mother tongue” and reconnect with my “homeland.” After two years of all-day Saturday Chinese school, I finally visited Beijing for the first time, expecting I would finally belong. While my face initially assured locals of my Chinese identity, the moment I spoke, my cover was blown. My Chinese was littered with tonal errors, and I was instantly labeled as an “ABC,” American-born Chinese.

I felt culturally homeless.

Speak from your own experience

Highlight your actions, difficulties, and feelings rather than comparing yourself to others. While it may be tempting to write about how you have been more or less fortunate than those around you, keep the focus on you and your unique experiences, as shown below.

I began to despair when the FAFSA website once again filled with red error messages.

I had been at the local library for hours and hadn’t even been able to finish the form, much less the other to-do items for my application.

I am the first person in my family to even consider going to college. My parents work two jobs each, but even then, it’s sometimes very hard to make ends meet. Rather than playing soccer or competing in speech and debate, I help my family by taking care of my younger siblings after school and on the weekends.

“We only speak one language here. Speak proper English!” roared a store owner when I had attempted to buy bread and accidentally used the wrong preposition.

In middle school, I had relentlessly studied English grammar textbooks and received the highest marks.

Leaving Seoul was hard, but living in West Orange, New Jersey was much harder一especially navigating everyday communication with Americans.

After sharing relevant personal stories, make sure to provide insight into how your lived experience has influenced your perspective, activities, and goals. You should also explain how your background led you to apply to this university and why you’re a good fit.

Include your outlook, actions, and goals

Conclude your essay with an insight about how your background or identity has affected your outlook, actions, and goals. You should include specific actions and activities that you have done as a result of your insight.

One night, before the midnight premiere of Avengers: Endgame , I stopped by my best friend Maria’s house. Her mother prepared tamales, churros, and Mexican hot chocolate, packing them all neatly in an Igloo lunch box. As we sat in the line snaking around the AMC theater, I thought back to when Maria and I took salsa classes together and when we belted out Selena’s “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” at karaoke. In that moment, as I munched on a chicken tamale, I realized how much I admired the beauty, complexity, and joy in Maria’s culture but had suppressed and devalued my own.

The following semester, I joined Model UN. Since then, I have learned how to proudly represent other countries and have gained cultural perspectives other than my own. I now understand that all cultures, including my own, are equal. I still struggle with small triggers, like when I go through airport security and feel a suspicious glance toward me, or when I feel self-conscious for bringing kabsa to school lunch. But in the future, I hope to study and work in international relations to continue learning about other cultures and impart a positive impression of Saudi culture to the world.

The smell of the early morning dew and the welcoming whinnies of my family’s horses are some of my most treasured childhood memories. To this day, our farm remains so rural that we do not have broadband access, and we’re too far away from the closest town for the postal service to reach us.

Going to school regularly was always a struggle: between the unceasing demands of the farm and our lack of connectivity, it was hard to keep up with my studies. Despite being a voracious reader, avid amateur chemist, and active participant in the classroom, emergencies and unforeseen events at the farm meant that I had a lot of unexcused absences.

Although it had challenges, my upbringing taught me resilience, the value of hard work, and the importance of family. Staying up all night to watch a foal being born, successfully saving the animals from a minor fire, and finding ways to soothe a nervous mare afraid of thunder have led to an unbreakable family bond.

Our farm is my family’s birthright and our livelihood, and I am eager to learn how to ensure the farm’s financial and technological success for future generations. In college, I am looking forward to joining a chapter of Future Farmers of America and studying agricultural business to carry my family’s legacy forward.

Tailor your answer to the university

After explaining how your identity or background will enrich the university’s existing student body, you can mention the university organizations, groups, or courses in which you’re interested.

Maybe a larger public school setting will allow you to broaden your community, or a small liberal arts college has a specialized program that will give you space to discover your voice and identity. Perhaps this particular university has an active affinity group you’d like to join.

Demonstrating how a university’s specific programs or clubs are relevant to you can show that you’ve done your research and would be a great addition to the university.

At the University of Michigan Engineering, I want to study engineering not only to emulate my mother’s achievements and strength, but also to forge my own path as an engineer with disabilities. I appreciate the University of Michigan’s long-standing dedication to supporting students with disabilities in ways ranging from accessible housing to assistive technology. At the University of Michigan Engineering, I want to receive a top-notch education and use it to inspire others to strive for their best, regardless of their circumstances.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

  • Writing process
  • Transition words
  • Passive voice
  • Paraphrasing

 Communication

  • How to end an email
  • Ms, mrs, miss
  • How to start an email
  • I hope this email finds you well
  • Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

  • Personal pronouns
  • Conjunctions

In addition to your main college essay , some schools and scholarships may ask for a supplementary essay focused on an aspect of your identity or background. This is sometimes called a diversity essay .

Many universities believe a student body composed of different perspectives, beliefs, identities, and backgrounds will enhance the campus learning and community experience.

Admissions officers are interested in hearing about how your unique background, identity, beliefs, culture, or characteristics will enrich the campus community, which is why they assign a diversity essay .

To write an effective diversity essay , include vulnerable, authentic stories about your unique identity, background, or perspective. Provide insight into how your lived experience has influenced your outlook, activities, and goals. If relevant, you should also mention how your background has led you to apply for this university and why you’re a good fit.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Courault, K. (2023, May 31). How to Write a Diversity Essay | Tips & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved March 12, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/college-essay/diversity-essay/

Is this article helpful?

Kirsten Courault

Kirsten Courault

Other students also liked, how to write about yourself in a college essay | examples, what do colleges look for in an essay | examples & tips, how to write a scholarship essay | template & example.

Cart

  • SUGGESTED TOPICS
  • The Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Managing Yourself
  • Managing Teams
  • Work-life Balance
  • The Big Idea
  • Data & Visuals
  • Reading Lists
  • Case Selections
  • HBR Learning
  • Topic Feeds
  • Account Settings
  • Email Preferences

What Makes You “Multicultural”

  • Stacey Fitzsimmons,
  • Davina Vora,
  • Lee Martin,
  • Salma Raheem,
  • Andre Pekerti,
  • C. Lakshman

multicultural company essay

Knowledge of more than one culture can often help you create innovative solutions.

Individual people can be multicultural in three different (albeit inter-related) ways: they can have deep knowledge of, they can identify with, and they can have internalized more than one culture. This article delves into those three aspects of being multicultural and describes what benefits can accrue from each of them.

You’ve heard about multicultural societies and groups, but have you thought about multicultural  individuals and what they bring to organizations? Multicultural individuals — such as Chinese-Canadians, Turkish-Germans, or Arab-Americans — commonly think, perceive, behave, and respond to global workplace issues in more complex ways than monocultural individuals.

  • SF Stacey Fitzsimmons , a monocultural Canadian, is an Associate Professor of International Business at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria, Canada.
  • DV Davina Vora , an American of German-Indian heritage who has lived and worked in four continents, is an Associate Professor of International Business at the State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz), USA.
  • LM Lee Martin is a Senior Lecturer in Management at Deakin University, Australia. She has Chinese-Australian heritage and has lived, studied and worked in three continents.
  • SR Salma Raheem is a Lecturer in HR/Organizational Behaviour at the University of Liverpool Management School. Born to South Indian parents in Dubai and brought up in international communities in the Middle East, Salma now lives in the UK, her adopted “home”.
  • AP Andre A Pekerti is a Senior Lecturer in International Management at The University of Queensland Business School, Australia. He is a Christian of Indonesian-Chinese heritage who grew up in Jakarta, Southern California and New Zealand; as an Indonesian, naturalized New Zealander and Australian, Andre currently works in Brisbane.
  • CL C. Lakshman , an Indian-American who has lived and worked in three continents, is currently an Associate Professor of International Business at Florida Atlantic University.

Partner Center

  • Call to +1 844 889-9952

The Multicultural Workplace

Introduction, power distance, communication styles, motivation, time management and universalism, strategies to mitigate negative influence of cultural differences, reference list.

The fact that the modern community freely travels all over the world means that multi-ethnic environments are deployed daily, creating more room for the advent of multicultural teams. The existence of cultural differences is one of the essential aspects of modern businesses that the administration has to be aware of to establish positive workplace relations among employees. On the other hand, a multicultural environment has to be approached correctly to improve leadership, job performance, and employee motivation.

The fact that individuals can travel the world or live in a foreign country does not ensure a comprehensive understanding of the differences among cultures that could significantly affect the workplace. Ethnic dissimilarities are hard to recognise, which makes it even more important for the administration to consider diversity when managing the company.

Compared to the second half of the 20th century, the community became more aware of the significant cultural differences, and how those affect the workplace. The increased occurrence of traveling also contributed to the advent of a growing number of culture-induced conflicts between employees. In most cases, workers do not even realise that culture is the source of their conflict unless an external party (a manager, for instance) reaches out to them with an explanation.

One of the most important ideas related to cultural diversity in the workplace is that people cannot be stereotyped based on their social background, as the same beliefs could give rise to additional individual differences that were not as visible as their much more evident counterparts. The current essay intends to prove that power distance, time management, communication styles and universalism have to be considered if the administration expects to adapt employees to different scenarios and improve their performance.

Compatibility between leaders’ and their teams’ power distance affects teams’ job attitude and performance. The concept of power distance closely relates to employee attitudes towards the unequal distribution of power within a company. In high-power distant cultures, such as many of the Eastern countries, subordinates are dependent on the decisions of managers (Cole, Carter and Zhang, 2016). Employees expect directors to make significant decisions and resolve any issues that arise during the workflow.

In low-power distant environments, on the other hand, power distribution is more even, and subordinates may challenge the decisions and ideas of their managers openly (Cole, Carter and Zhang, 2016). According to Cole, Carter and Zhang (2016), the alignment of power distance values among leaders, their subordinates and the organisation as a whole leads to positive outcomes such as more significant employee commitment, job satisfaction and higher team performance.

Furthermore, procedural justice is maximised when there is a perfect match between leaders’ and teams’ views of power distance since they interpret and similarly classify their interactions. In this regard, incongruence can make teams feel like authority unfairly treats them, especially when a leader’s power distance values are higher than his team’s, which may result in lower organisational citizenship behaviour (Ely and Thomas, 2001). Even though a perfect alignment of power distance values may seem to be the most desirable scenario, it is very difficult to achieve in practice, mainly because individuals within the same culture may express and perceive varying degrees of power differently (Cole, Carter and Zhang, 2016).

This means that we cannot predict someone’s view towards power distribution and their behaviour based on their cultural background. Therefore, instead of aiming for a perfect match between different instances of power distance, it is vital to become aware of the potential differences in power preferences that may exist among a team to achieve positive workplace relations and maximise team effectiveness.

Leaders and managers should learn to adapt their behaviour to a given multicultural team as much as possible by developing the ability to view different situations from multiple standpoints. Taking a suitable approach when making decisions or assigning tasks is crucial in order to create a feeling of fairness and achieve effective collaboration by employees. For example, management styles could vary based on the task. When performing creative tasks that require initiative and participation, taking a more egalitarian approach could be more favourable, whereas a hierarchical approach may work better for efficiency tasks.

Finally, team members must identify their leader’s or manager’s perceptions to adjust their expectations/ understand what is expected from them and learn how best to communicate their ideas. Variations in employees’ power distance values have a direct impact on the justice climate among teams and their overall performance. For example, a British person, who is more egalitarian, might find unequal power distribution intolerable, and thus, his or her job satisfaction and performance can be severely hindered. Even though these critical differences cannot be observed by travelling, since they are deeply ingrained in each individual’s mind-set, they must not be ignored if an organisation is aiming to succeed majorly in the long term.

Given that communication is one of the essential elements of managerial work, it may be crucial to gain more insight into how other cultures communicate. This would be necessary to grasp the meaning of every message and take advantage of a culturally diverse workplace where distinct talents are not ignored because of a language barrier. With more corporate agendas that include global expansion to their list of activities, the ability to gather information about the local regulations and customs without being afraid of incorrect translation would become the most significant business advantage over time (Tannen, 1995).

Any obstacles related to the language barrier might be easily overcome within a culturally diverse workplace under the condition where employees display mutual respect and are willing to learn. Communication styles vary across cultures, and such differences lead to discrepancies at work, interpersonal conflicts, affect motivation and performance. Several relevant concepts can be viewed as essential when addressing the question of why communication styles cannot be ignored when establishing a multicultural working environment.

First, there are accents and fluency that affect multicultural teams even without any prior review. With the English language being the global language of business, non-native speakers’ accents often lead to misunderstandings and frustration in the workplace. Language differences often make it hard for employees to express their ideas. Expert but non-fluent team members often have difficulty communicating their knowledge, making it hard for the team to recognise their expertise (Tannen, 1995). This makes them feel less motivated to contribute or even anxious about their career prospects.

Their teammates may also become frustrated by their lack of fluency, which can lead to interpersonal conflicts and ultimately affect the overall performance of the organisation. In the workplace, linguistic styles that we learn in childhood change judgments of competence and confidence, as well as who is heard and who is credited. Tannen (1995), for example, mentioned how many talented employees were not being promoted because their way of speaking made them seem less self-confident.

Cultural differences directly influence employee motivation, which in turn influences work behaviour and job performance. Universalists believe that decisions should be guided by rules that are the same for every situation. Particularists, on the other hand, make choices depending on circumstances and on relationships. According to Rockstuhl et al . (2012), this may be a severe problem for multicultural organisations due to the lack of alignment across employees’ personal and professional objectives, meaning that Russian employees, for example, could majorly disprove a decision made by an American manager.

This can be further extended by the idea that the lack of synchronicity would also create time management issues for the team in the case where there are different cultures involved. Sanchez-Runde and Steers (2001), for instance, considered that time management could also have a significant impact on how employees in multicultural environments see each other. Knowing that polychronic employees might be able to perform several tasks at once, their collaboration with monochronic workers could end in misunderstanding and improper attitudes toward the management. Without proper time management, a culturally diverse team of individuals would struggle with every task.

Brett, Behfar and Kern (2006) completed one of the most comprehensive research projects in the area of establishing the best strategies to address cultural differences and their potential negative influence on employees and administration. They concluded by stating that there were four essential methods of dealing with the adverse consequences of cultural differences in the workplace: adaptation, structural intervention, managerial intervention and withdrawal. The adaptation strategy is usually required when conflicts get resolved openly, meaning that employees are going to find a balanced position and allow their cultures adapt to each other (Brett, Behfar and Kern, 2006).

The strategy of structural intervention, on the other hand, suggests that management should be directly involved in every culture-based conflict to react quickly to different situations where stereotypical thinking takes over rational thought. According to Brett, Behfar and Kern (2006), in the case of two dissimilar teams from opposite cultures, managerial intervention is widely approved as one of the most efficient strategies to deal with the negative impact of cultural differences.

For instance, when an American team has misunderstandings with a team from China, instead of directly contacting the Chinese managers and breaking the rules of hierarchy, the members of the American side may use the help of the higher-level management. By conforming to hierarchical regulations and asking a higher-level manager to resolve the conflict, team members will make it possible to avoid any additional problems that may arise. The team should not resort to this strategy too often as it risks becoming too reliant on the management, which is also a competitive disadvantage for team members.

Even though Brett, Behfar and Kern (2006) did not view withdrawal as a recommended way of dealing with the drawbacks of cultural diversity in the workplace, they still suggested that the inability to resolve conflicts peacefully could turn resignation into a unique way of solving the existing disputes. The researchers also shared a story where an employee decided to leave the company because of issues caused by cultural misunderstandings. If the source of the problem is the individual who chooses to leave the team, the problem may disappear when the individual withdraws from the organisation. However, in most cases, withdrawals do not solve team conflicts and only create more problems for organisations.

Many benefits of a multicultural working environment can only be accessible under the condition where both the administration and the employees realise the need to follow diversity incentives. Integration and learning shall be considered an essential element of a diversity-based agenda where employees are focused more on the outcomes of their activities than on the cultural differences. The ability to travel and meet new people across the globe or even work remotely in an international company creates a unique amalgamation of transnational skills and knowledge. As employees are gaining more insight into communication styles, they are also improving their standing in the workplace community.

Respect towards organisational diversity helps both the administration and employees realise and value the contribution of team members regardless of their cultural affiliation. The feeling of being valued is the most important aspect of a multicultural workplace that enhances team morale and individual productivity.

The overall significance of the topic can be highlighted with the increasingly high number of possibilities to have culturally diverse employees work together on a set of different assignments where the most unique and ground-breaking solutions have to be proposed. Taking into consideration the information on power distance, communication styles, time management skills and the degree of universalism within the team, it may be safe to say that the increasing cultural diversity is an essential benefit that might give any organisation a competitive advantage over its rivals.

For the company, to acknowledge the existence of cultural diversity in the workplace would mean to encourage employees to share their ideas with the managers and support the organisational vision by any means. Cultural differences would give the management a chance to find the best solution by analysing answers that were brought by diverse cultural backgrounds. Therefore, cultural differences at work still have an impact on employee effectiveness and cannot be ignored if the organisation is aiming to succeed majorly in the long term.

Brett, J., Behfar, K., and Kern, M. C. (2006) ‘Managing multicultural teams’, Harvard Business Review , pp. 84-91.

Cole, M. S., Carter, M. Z., and Zhang, Z. (2016) ‘Leader–team congruence in power distance values and team effectiveness: the mediating role of procedural justice climate’, Journal of Applied Psychology , 98(6), pp. 962-973.

Ely, R. J. and Thomas, D. A. (2001) ‘Cultural diversity at work: the effects of diversity perspectives on work group processes and outcomes’, Administrative Science Quarterly , 46, pp. 229-273.

Rockstuhl, T. et al . (2012) ‘Leader–member exchange (LMX) and culture: a meta-analysis of correlates of LMX across 23 countries’, Journal of Applied Psychology , 97(6), pp. 1097-1130.

Sanchez-Runde, C. J. and Steers, R. M. (2001) ‘Cultural influences on work motivation and performance’, in Porter, L., Bigley, G., and Steers, R. (eds.) Motivation and leadership at work . New York: McGraw-Hill College, pp. 357–374.

Tannen, D (1995) ‘The power of talk: who gets heard and why’, Harvard Business Review , 73(5), pp. 138-148.

Cite this paper

Select style

  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

BusinessEssay. (2022, January 25). The Multicultural Workplace. https://business-essay.com/the-multicultural-workplace/

"The Multicultural Workplace." BusinessEssay , 25 Jan. 2022, business-essay.com/the-multicultural-workplace/.

BusinessEssay . (2022) 'The Multicultural Workplace'. 25 January.

BusinessEssay . 2022. "The Multicultural Workplace." January 25, 2022. https://business-essay.com/the-multicultural-workplace/.

1. BusinessEssay . "The Multicultural Workplace." January 25, 2022. https://business-essay.com/the-multicultural-workplace/.

Bibliography

BusinessEssay . "The Multicultural Workplace." January 25, 2022. https://business-essay.com/the-multicultural-workplace/.

  • Coca-Cola Company: Project Management
  • Management Control and Performance Management
  • La Badira: Total Quality Management
  • How to Adopt the Appropriate Sampling Technique
  • How Managers Become Lead in Change
  • Developing Contract for BAE Systems
  • Effective Mis Applications Elevate Organization Business Value
  • Inequality in Business Organizations
  • Continuous Process Improvement: DMAIC Improvement Cycle
  • Options for Management

cropped-Logo-versión-clara.png

Multicultural companies: advantages and challenges

New technologies allow companies to have professionals from different parts of the world creating multicultural companies with new challenges and advantages.

According to a study by Boston Consulting Group ( The Mix That Matters: Innovation Through Diversity) , multicultural companies earn 19% more revenue than others .

Undoubtedly having the knowledge of different cultures is a great advantage for companies but also a challenge when managing communication and corporate culture.

In this blog we tell you what are the main advantages and challenges of multicultural companies.

multicultural company essay

Types of bosses who look like movie characters

Do you want to have some fun🤣? Today we introduce you to the boss guys and the movie🎬 characters that look more like them in…

Performance pay

Performance Pay

You want your workers to be motivated💪? Solution ➡ Performance compensation. Read on if you want to know the advantages⭕ and the disadvantages❌.

Innovation comes to job interviews

Innovation comes to job interviews

Are you working on a selection process? Today we show you some questions to ask in the interview to get to know the candidate better.

  • InterviewPenguin.com – Your best job interview coach since 2011

Interview questions answered: Describe your experience working in a multicultural environment

We live in a diverse world. People from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds meet in a typical workplace, and it doesn’t matter whether you actually embrace this diversity , or have strong prejudice against people who believe in another God, have another color of skin, or vote for another presidential candidate. You will have to work with them , especially in any big corporation. It is not something you can avoid, and it makes sense that hiring managers inquire about your experience with multicultural environment in an interview. But what do they want to hear from a good job candidate?

First of all, they do not care that much about the situation you narrate–if you decide to narrate a situation in your answer. They care primarily about your attitude . They want to hear, or at least perceive in your words, that you are fine working with people from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds , that there is no prejudice in your heart. But you can definitely mention a conflict of opinions, or any other conflict in which cultural differences came into play, because such things do happen, and companies want to hire people who see things realistically, and can appreciate both pluses and minuses of a multicultural environment.

Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers to the question. I tried to include on my list variety of answers, for different situations and levels of experience (including answers for people with no previous working experience). Hopefully you will find at least one which you can use in your interviews. Once done with the answers, do not forget to check also my notes below them, for additional hints .

7 sample answers to “Describe your experience working in a multicultural environment” interview question

  • I worked in a multicultural team of seven people in my last corporate job . The team was as diverse as you can imagine , at least in terms of race, religion, and gender of my colleagues. But we were all the same age group, from twenty-five to thirty-five. I would say that such a team had both advantages and disadvantages . It is great seeing things from different perspectives of team members, which are always influenced by their cultural background. What’s more, when you open your heart you can learn a lot from these people . On the other hand, except of work we did not have much in common , so we were just colleagues, and have not become friends. That would be easier with people from the same cultural background. Anyway, I respected all people in the team , and we had a fruitful cooperation. So I do not think I will struggle working in such a team in your company.
  • This is my first job application , so I haven’t worked in a multicultural environment before. But I can narrate my experience from school . As it is the case with most public high schools, you have a mix of people in the classrooms . We had Latinos, African-Americans, Caucasian people, and we also professed all sorts of religions. Of course–and I think this is inevitable in each group or team, people from the same cultural background hanged out together , and exception just proved the rule. And just like at any other school, we had fights, cases of bullying, and so on. But I never fell for such a trap . What matters for me is not a religion or a color of skin of a person. The only thing that matters is the character of the person , how they treat other human beings and living creatures… And I plan to treat people in the same way in my job–hopefully the one with you.
  • I have worked in a multicultural environment in my last job in retail. Not only colleagues, but also customers came from all sorts of backgrounds . Speaking honestly, I treated everyone in the same way . I tried to be attentive to the needs and feelings of my colleagues, and courteous to each and every customer. Of course, some people are more likeable than others , and it helps when you have something in common with your colleagues. And I also felt it that way. But it doesn’t mean that I treated people differently . I respect every human being, regardless of their past, their religion, gender, or color of skin.
  • I was more of a lonely wolf in my only programming job. We had occasional team meetings, but really most people were from the same cultural background. And we were very busy and focused almost entirely on work issues in the meetings. Once the meeting was over, everyone left the place and headed back to their office. But I do not want this anymore . And that’s exactly why I left my last job. I want to share the workplace with other people , and ideally from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Because I believe we can learn from each other , and it is much better having a culturally diverse team.
  • I can describe it quite well on the last project I’ve led in my former job . I had six people in my multicultural team , and I must honestly say it wasn’t easy. The problem is that we live in a polarized society , and instead of looking at things we have in common–and there are always some, we focus on things that separate us . I faced this problem in my team as well, and we struggled with productivity due to internal conflicts . As a manager, I had a one on one with each team member, and I instructed all people to avoid topics like politics, religion , and other sensitive topics in the workplace. And I also organized small team building events for my team, such as playing bowling in teams. This helped a lot with the relationships in the workplace, and the productivity improved. However, I still witnessed some conflicts, because at the end of the day we are just people , and in pressure moments we may struggle to control our emotions. Anyway, as this experience proves, I am definitely ready to lead a multicultural team in your business .
  • This is my first job application , so it is hard for me to pick an experience from the workplace. But I’ve done a gap year after earning my degree, and traveled the world. Meeting people from all sorts of cultures, and hanging around with them in cities , I came to a profound realization that at the end of the day , we aren’t as different as we think we are …. Every human being–regardless of their race, gender, or religion, desires to be respected and loved , and enjoys genuine interactions with other human beings. And of course we all have to get a job and earn money, to survive and have something to pay our bills with. To sum it up, judging by my experience from the gap year, I do not think I will have any problems working in a multicultural environment .
  • I have not only worked in one– I live in one . My mother comes from a different cultural background than my father, and my partner is again from a different background . Bur respect has always sat on the top of values , and I definitely do not have any prejudice against people of different races and religions. In my last job at STARBUCKS I actually shared the quarters with three other baristas, and two of them came from a different cultural background . I have never found it hard cooperating with them, and I actually think such a diversity helps with the productivity in the team.

Avoid any terms and monikers that can be considered inappropriate or even racist

If you talk about people of different colors and religions, call them names that are generally acceptable. Use African-American instead of “Negro” (“black” is acceptable in some places but some people may still find it offensive), and Caucasian instead of “White” or “Gringo”. Latino is fine and widely acceptable at most places.

You can actually even omit these expressions altogether . Saying that you shared the workplace with “ people from different cultures ” should be enough for the hiring managers. They do not need to know exactly with whom you worked, and what color of skin they had, or what God they believed in.

multicultural company essay

Regardless of your experience, ensure them that you are ready to work in a multicultural environment

Maybe you’ve never worked in a multicultural team, or even never belonged to a multicultural classroom. Or, on the contrary, you have a lot of experience with such an environment–but it isn’t black or white really . You’ve had both good and bad experiences.

All of that is fine for the hiring managers, as long as you ensure them that you have no prejudice against people of a different race or religion, and feel ready to work in a multicultural environment. Keep it on your mind when answering this question…

Check also 7 sample answers to other tricky interview questions:

  • What does diversity mean to you?
  • What is your ideal company culture?
  • Give us an example of a time when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with .
  • Recent Posts

Matthew Chulaw

Š InterviewPenguin.com

Privacy Policy

Multiculturalism: Positive Impact Essay

The most critical issues for reducing discrimination and prejudice in society are mutual respect and multiculturalism. While maintaining a level of personal freedom so long as it does not infringe upon the freedom of others is critical both on a personal and societal level in general for a harmonious cultural environment in any location, this must apply to the areas of race and religion across various ethnic groups as much as any other area. The stubborn notion that one’s personal belief systems are the only possible ones which can be “correct” must be reduced or at least not presented in a way which infringes on others, while multiculturalism through globalization and other means of exposure will likely provide its own conditions for exposure. At this point it will be up to the people to spread awareness and tolerance to avoid discrimination and prejudice.

Multiculturalism will eventually lead to the reduction of discriminatory and prejudice in our society. Most improper and incorrect views of other cultures and races is the result of stigmatization which is never disproven due to the segregation of the country and the overall lack of opportunity for people to realize the truth about other groups. Religious differences have played some role in this as well, although it is more common for religions to have tolerance for others. The increase of technology now also allows for better communication overall, which allows people to see other cultures and races and thus realize what is true and what is not true about them. This general caters to the dissolving of general stereotypes and other causes for discrimination and prejudice.

A variety of larger social structural circumstances as well as personal ones will cater to the reduction of discrimination and prejudice. One such circumstance that is becoming more common is the interracial marriage. These marriages play a strong role in equality for a number of reasons. First, they put two people of different backgrounds in a family setting full of love, while often resulting in children. Secondly, they create conditions so that other family members and friends of the family become familiar with each other. If prejudice views existed before the relationship they have the strong potential to be reduced as these people will be exposed to each other in such a way that they will see the truth and with any luck will be able to see past their prejudices or reasons for discrimination.

The people involved closely to the marriage will also be more likely to eliminate discrimination they hear in others in their social lives while being able to offer proof to the contrary of any harmful stereotyping or slanderous discrimination. The children of such marriages will also act in this way socially while being a mix of both groups and thus catering to equality. Another circumstance catering to multiculturalism and thus the breaking of prejudice and discriminatory barriers are the diversity quotas in universities and the workplace. In such circumstances different groups become exposed to each other in a team environment, and often in a positive light generating the same general results as any other group, as a result revealing the true nature of equality while not allowing for untrue stereotypes to continue to manifest.

The globalization of the world combined with technology will ultimately be the downfall of prejudice and discrimination. While a mentality that tolerates or even appreciates difference is required for this to be optimally successful, while stereotypes are disregarded and only personal experience be used in perspective, as the world merges these boundaries will fall. The truth will be realized in this manner and the less stubborn prejudiced people are, the easier and more harmonious this merging will be.

  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2021, November 4). Multiculturalism: Positive Impact. https://ivypanda.com/essays/multiculturalism-positive-impact/

"Multiculturalism: Positive Impact." IvyPanda , 4 Nov. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/multiculturalism-positive-impact/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Multiculturalism: Positive Impact'. 4 November.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Multiculturalism: Positive Impact." November 4, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/multiculturalism-positive-impact/.

1. IvyPanda . "Multiculturalism: Positive Impact." November 4, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/multiculturalism-positive-impact/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Multiculturalism: Positive Impact." November 4, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/multiculturalism-positive-impact/.

  • Lauren Kessler: Immigrant Identity in "The Stubborn Twig"
  • Arguments For and Against Multiculturalism
  • Multicultural Australia: Multiculturalism and the Context
  • The Role of Multiculturalism in the Development of the Country
  • Multiculturalism as the Practice of Recognizing
  • Multiculturalism in the International Community
  • Multiculturalism, the Italian Culture
  • Hotel and Catering Business
  • British Military Catering System's History and Future
  • Multiculturalism Issue in the USA
  • Mexicans in the US: Multicultural Interview
  • The Practice of Wearing the Veil and Cultural Imperialism
  • Policy of Ethnicity and Identity: Multiculturalism
  • Canadian Immigration and Multiculturalism
  • Cultural Diversity: Mexican Americans and African Americans

Which program are you applying to?

Accepted

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

multicultural company essay

May 11, 2023

Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay

What is the diversity essay question and how do you answer it

What is the diversity question in a school application, and why does it matter when applying to leading programs and universities? Most importantly, how should you respond?

Diversity is of supreme value in higher education, and schools want to know how every student will contribute to it in their community. A diversity essay is an essay that encourages applicants with disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds, an unusual education, a distinctive experience, or a unique family history to write about how these elements of their background have prepared them to play a useful role in increasing and encouraging diversity among their target program’s student body and broader community.

In this post, we’ll cover the following topics: 

How to show you can add to diversity

Why diversity matters at school, seven examples that reveal diversity, how to write about your diversity, diversity essay example, want to ensure your application demonstrates the diversity that your dream school is seeking.

If you are an immigrant to the United States, the child of immigrants, or someone whose ethnicity is underrepresented in the States, your response to “How will you add to the diversity of our class/community?” and similar questions might help your application efforts. Why? Because you can use it to show how your background will add a distinctive perspective to the program you are applying to.

Download this sample personal background essay, and see how one candidate won over the adcom and got accepted into their top-choice MBA program.

Of course, if you’re not from a group that is underrepresented in your field or a disadvantaged group, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything to write about in a diversity essay.

For example, you might have an unusual or special experience to share, such as serving in the military, being a member of a dance troupe, or caring for a disabled relative. These and other distinctive experiences can convey how you will contribute to the diversity of the school’s campus.

You could be the first member of your family to apply to college or the first to learn English in your household. Perhaps you have worked your way through college or helped raise your siblings. You might also have been an ally to those who are underrepresented, disadvantaged, or marginalized in your community, at your previous school, or in an earlier work experience. 

As you can see, diversity is not limited to one’s religion, ethnicity, culture, language, or sexual orientation. It refers to whatever element of your identity  distinguishes you from others and shows that you, too, value diversity.

Admissions officers believe diversity in the classroom improves the educational experience of all the students involved. They also believe that having a diverse workforce better serves society as a whole.

The more diverse perspectives found in the classroom, throughout the dorms, in the dining halls, and mixed into study groups, the richer the discussions will be.

Plus, learning and growing in this kind of multicultural environment will prepare students for working in our increasingly multicultural and global world.

In medicine, for example, a heterogeneous workforce benefits people from previously underrepresented cultures. Businesses realize they will market more effectively if they can speak to different audiences and markets, which is possible when members of their workforce come from different backgrounds and cultures. Schools simply want to prepare graduates for the 21st century job market.

Adcoms want to know about your personal diversity elements and the way they have helped you develop particular character and personality traits , as well as the unusual experiences that have shaped you.

Here are seven examples an applicant could write about:

  • They grew up with a strong insistence on respecting elders, attending family events, or learning their parents’ native language and culture.
  • They are close to grandparents and extended family members who have taught them how teamwork can help everyone thrive.
  • They have had to face difficulties that stem from their parents’ values being in conflict with theirs or those of their peers.
  • Teachers have not always understood the elements of their culture or lifestyle and how those elements influence their performance.
  • They suffered from discrimination and succeeded despite it because of their grit, values, and character.
  • They learned skills from a lifestyle that is outside the norm (e.g., living in foreign countries as the child of a diplomat or contractor; performing professionally in theater, dance, music, or sports; having a deaf sibling).
  • They’ve encountered racism or other prejudice (either toward themselves or others) and responded by actively promoting diverse, tolerant values.

And remember, it’s not just about who your parents are. It’s about who you are – at the core.

Your background, influences, religious observances, language, ideas, work environment, community experiences – all these factors come together to create a unique individual, one who will contribute to a varied class of distinct individuals taking their place in a diverse world.

Your answer to the diversity question should focus on how your experiences have built your empathy for others, your embrace of differences, your resilience, your character, and your perspective.

The school might well ask how you think of diversity or how you can bring or add to the diversity of your school, chosen profession, or community. Make sure you answer the specific question posed by highlighting distinctive elements of your profile that will add to the class mosaic every adcom is trying to create. You don’t want to blend in; you want to stand out in a positive way while also complementing the school’s canvas.

Here’s a simple, three-part framework that will help you think of diversity more, well, diversely:

  • Identity : Who are you? What has contributed to your identity? How do you distinguish yourself? Your identity can include any of the following: gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, religion, nontraditional work experience, nontraditional educational background, multicultural background, and family’s educational level.
  • Deeds : What have you done? What have you accomplished? This could include any of the following: achievements inside and/or outside your field of study, leadership opportunities, community service, , internship or professional experience, research opportunities, hobbies, and travel. Any or all of these could be unique. Also, what life-derailing, throw-you-for-a-loop challenges have you faced and overcome?
  • Ideas : How do you think? How do you approach things? What drives you? What influences you? Are you the person who can break up a tense meeting with some well-timed humor? Are you the one who intuitively sees how to bring people together? 

Learn more about this three-part framework in this podcast episode.

Think about each question within this framework and how you could apply your diversity elements to the classroom, your school, or your community. Any of these elements will serve as the framework for your essay.

Don’t worry if you can’t think of something totally “out there.” You don’t need to be a tightrope walker living in the Andes or a Buddhist monk from Japan to pass the diversity test!

And please remember, the examples I have listed are not exhaustive. There are many other ways to show diversity!

All you need to write successfully about how you will contribute to the rich diversity of your target school’s community is to examine your identity, deeds, and ideas, with an eye toward your personal distinctiveness and individuality. There is only one you .

Want our advice on how you can best show diversity?

Click here to sign up for a free consultation.

Take a look at this sample diversity essay, and pay attention to how the writer underscores their appreciation for and experience with diversity. 

When I was starting 11 th grade, my dad, an agricultural scientist, was assigned to a 3-month research project in a farm village in Niigata (northwest Honshu in Japan). Rather than stay behind with my mom and siblings, I begged to go with him. As a straight-A student, I convinced my parents and the principal that I could handle my schoolwork remotely (pre-COVID) for that stretch. It was time to leap beyond my comfortable suburban Wisconsin life—and my Western orientation, reinforced by travel to Europe the year before. 

We roomed in a sprawling farmhouse with a family participating in my dad’s study. I thought I’d experience an “English-free zone,” but the high school students all studied and wanted to practice English, so I did meet peers even though I didn’t attend their school. Of the many eye-opening, influential, cultural experiences, the one that resonates most powerfully to me is experiencing their community. It was a living, organic whole. Elementary school kids spent time helping with the rice harvest. People who foraged for seasonal wild edibles gave them to acquaintances throughout the town. In fact, there was a constant sharing of food among residents—garden veggies carried in straw baskets, fish or meat in coolers. The pharmacist would drive prescriptions to people who couldn’t easily get out—new mothers, the elderly—not as a business service but as a good neighbor. If rain suddenly threatened, neighbors would bring in each other’s drying laundry. When an empty-nest 50-year-old woman had to be hospitalized suddenly for a near-fatal snakebite, neighbors maintained her veggie patch until she returned. The community embodied constant awareness of others’ needs and circumstances. The community flowed!

Yet, people there lamented that this lifestyle was vanishing; more young people left than stayed or came. And it wasn’t idyllic: I heard about ubiquitous gossip, long-standing personal enmities, busybody-ness. But these very human foibles didn’t dam the flow. This dynamic community organism couldn’t have been more different from my suburban life back home, with its insular nuclear families. We nod hello to neighbors in passing. 

This wonderful experience contained a personal challenge. Blond and blue-eyed, I became “the other” for the first time. Except for my dad, I saw no Westerner there. Curious eyes followed me. Stepping into a market or walking down the street, I drew gazes. People swiftly looked away if they accidentally caught my eye. It was not at all hostile, I knew, but I felt like an object. I began making extra sure to appear “presentable” before going outside. The sense of being watched sometimes generated mild stress or resentment. Returning to my lovely tatami room, I would decompress, grateful to be alone. I realized this challenge was a minute fraction of what others experience in my own country. The toll that feeling—and being— “other” takes on non-white and visibly different people in the US can be extremely painful. Experiencing it firsthand, albeit briefly, benignly, and in relative comfort, I got it.

Unlike the organic Niigata community, work teams, and the workplace itself, have externally driven purposes. Within this different environment, I will strive to exemplify the ongoing mutual awareness that fueled the community life in Niigata. Does it benefit the bottom line, improve the results? I don’t know. But it helps me be the mature, engaged person I want to be, and to appreciate the individuals who are my colleagues and who comprise my professional community. I am now far more conscious of people feeling their “otherness”—even when it’s not in response to negative treatment, it can arise simply from awareness of being in some way different.

What did you think of this essay? Does this middle class Midwesterner have the unique experience of being different from the surrounding majority, something she had not experienced in the United States? Did she encounter diversity from the perspective of “the other”? 

Here a few things to note about why this diversity essay works so well:

  • The writer comes from “a comfortable, suburban, Wisconsin life,” suggesting that her own background might not be ethnically, racially, or in other ways diverse.
  • The diversity “points” scored all come from her fascinating  experience of having lived in a Japanese farm village, where she immersed herself in a totally different culture.
  • The lessons learned about the meaning of community are what broaden and deepen the writer’s perspective about life, about a purpose-driven life, and about the concept of “otherness.” 

By writing about a time when you experienced diversity in one of its many forms, you can write a memorable and meaningful diversity essay.

Working on your diversity essay?

Want to ensure that your application demonstrates the diversity that your dream school is seeking? Work with one of our admissions experts and . This checklist includes more than 30 different ways to think about diversity to jump-start your creative engines.

Related Resources:

•  Different Dimensions of Diversity , a podcast episode • What to Do if You Belong to an Overrepresented Applicant Group • Med School Admissions Advice for Nontraditional Applicants: The Experts Speak

About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service

Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553 Š 2022 Accepted

Stamp of AIGAC Excellence

  • Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Guest Essay

America Has No Official Language. Instead It Has Hundreds.

A colorful illustration showing stylized speech bubbles coming from people’s mouths.

By Ross Perlin

Mr. Perlin, a co-director of the Endangered Language Alliance , has been researching linguistic diversity and language endangerment since 2006. He is the author of “Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York.”

Nearly 400 years ago, Walloon-speaking religious refugees from near what is today roughly the French-Belgian border arrived in a Lenape-speaking archipelago, marking the colonial founding of Manhattan as we know it. Ever more global waves of migration have arrived since, not just enriching the city in practical ways but also adding to its cultural and artistic texture. Today New York City is the most linguistically diverse urban area in the world.

Now Donald Trump is warning about this linguistic diversity, arguing that New York’s classrooms are overwhelmed by foreign students who speak obscure languages. “They have languages that nobody in this country has ever heard of,” Mr. Trump said , referring to migrants who have recently arrived. “It’s a very horrible thing.”

It’s true, as he suggested, that we don’t have instructors for most of the world’s more than 7,000 languages, so poor is our ability to teach, learn or translate them. But why did Mr. Trump deem this “a very horrible thing,” and not a call to arms for more research and more language teachers? What could make languages — gloriously various natural experiments in human cognition and communication — so frightening?

There are many practical benefits to be found in the knowledge, wisdom and poetry of the languages that immigrants bring with them. A growing body of research has found that linguistic diversity can be good not only for children’s overall development but also for their health. The presence of these languages and their speakers continually revitalizes the profound social experiment that is America. We can and should learn how to communicate with them.

But when it comes to languages spoken by immigrants from far-flung places — some primarily oral and used by a small minority — it’s not as simple as hiring more language teachers or for-profit translation companies. What is needed first is basic research, including documentation by linguists and language communities working in partnership and developing resources like dictionaries and online language archives.

The United States has never had an official language. While English is the de facto lingua franca, it is not standardized in the way France has enshrined Parisian French or China has promulgated a certain kind of Mandarin. We have our own long history of discriminating against or treating people who speak other languages unfairly, whether the stamping out of Native American languages in residential schools or punishments for students speaking Spanish in public schools or bias against African American English. But only since the 1980s have states, driven by a Spanish-fearing, English-only movement that prefigured Mr. Trump, started enshrining English in their constitutions.

Nothing could be more alien to our multilingual history and reality — not to mention our cognitive and communicative freedom — than the imposition of English or any single standard language.

An estimated 300 Native languages were spoken north of the Rio Grande before European colonization. Many are miraculously still being used, and even more are being revived today, including Lenape. Nor were the early colonies entirely English-speaking. The island of Manhattan set the country’s multilingual template. In 1643, the French Jesuit priest Isaac Jogues wrote that there were a reported 18 languages spoken among the roughly 400 to 500 people residing in the Dutch-run port. Linguistic diversity went hand in hand with religious tolerance and commercial opportunity.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, speakers of primarily oral languages like Irish, Sicilian, Yiddish and Taishanese , to name just a few, were shaping the city and the country in myriad ways. Then in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed the Johnson-Reed Act in an attempt to freeze the ethnic balance of the country, fueled by political fears and racist pseudoscience.

The law drastically reduced the total number of immigrants allowed in each year, effectively cut off all immigration from outside Northern and Western Europe and formally established the Border Patrol. Immigration rates collapsed almost overnight. If re-elected, Mr. Trump has promised to carry out the largest deportations in American history and block more people from certain countries from entering the country, perhaps even on the basis of language, among other measures. If he has his way, 2024 could well become the new 1924.

Today, close to 70 million Americans speak languages other than English at home. So do around half of all New Yorkers, but nowhere is the depth and breadth of America’s linguistic diversity more apparent than in Queens.

Queens is home to over two million people, with many hailing from distant corners of the globe, validating the fundamental American ideal that people from deeply different backgrounds can coexist. The people who make up the self-proclaimed “ world’s borough ” speak languages like Mixtec , Kichwa , Tibetan and Fulani , as well as a trove of endangered languages invisible to the census but mapped by my organization, the Endangered Language Alliance . This depth of linguistic diversity shows how differences may sustain a society, just as biodiversity fosters resilient ecosystems.

Mr. Trump, who was born in Queens to a mother whose first language was Scottish Gaelic, understands all too well how to rally people against the Queensification of America. Attacks on languages are all too often attacks on their speakers, but monolinguals like him may be especially fearful of losing their linguistic privilege. While he may have businesses all over the world, he has never left his linguistic comfort zone.

There are legitimate worries about finite resources and the challenges of integration, but in today’s overheated rhetoric and policy missteps around immigration the fullness of what over 170,000 asylum seekers are bringing to New York — and what immigrants bring to this country more generally — is being overlooked.

Multilingualism is deeply woven into the nation’s history. And yet, our nation hasn’t built a coherent multilingual project in the way that some other countries that support more than one official language have. We now have an opportunity to document and develop our multilingualism and the richness it extends, as opposed to receiving it passively or even negatively.

This is all the more imperative today as Indigenous languages of the Americas, vernaculars from areas in Africa affected by the slave trade and tongues from other colonized places are pushed to the brink. We have a moral responsibility, as exhilarating as it is challenging, to not just hear these languages but also make space for them.

Ross Perlin, a linguist, writer and translator, is a co-director of the Endangered Language Alliance . He is the author of “ Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York .”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , X and Threads .

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Santa Clara University

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

multicultural company essay

3 Superb Santa Clara University Essay Examples

What’s covered:, essay example 1 – ethical dilemma (food waste).

  • Essay Example 2 – Ethical Dilemma (Healthcare in Latin America)
  • Essay Example 3 – Why Santa Clara?
  • Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay

Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in California. The acceptance rate is around 50%, so it’s important to write strong essays to help your application stand out. In this post, we’ll go over some essays real students have submitted to Santa Clara University and outline their strengths and areas for improvement. (Names and identifying information have been changed, but all other details are preserved).

Alexandra Johnson , an expert advisor on CollegeVine, provided commentary on this post. Advisors offer one-on-one guidance on everything from essays to test prep to financial aid. If you want help writing your essays or feedback on drafts, book a consultation with Alexandra Johnson or another skilled advisor. 

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our SCU essay breakdown for a comprehensive overview of how to write this year’s supplemental essays.

Prompt: At SCU, we push our students to be creative, be challenged, and be the solution. Think about an ethical dilemma that you care about that our society is currently facing. This can be something happening in your local community or more globally. How can an SCU education help you prepare for and address this challenge? (150-300 words) 

When I am not studying or filling out college applications, you can find me in the kitchen trying a new recipe and experimenting with ingredients. Spending so much time cooking made me aware of the massive amount of food waste that I produce. So I changed my behavior; I now plan ahead the recipes I make to ensure that all ingredients will be used, only buy what I need for the week, and freeze leftovers for future use. Making these changes wasn’t easy. It makes me wonder how much harder it must be for larger institutions to scale up these solutions.

In my research of Santa Clara University, I came across the Food Recovery Network at SCU that aims to fight the same concerns I experience while in the kitchen. This community of dedicated students proves that there are possible ways to reduce food waste on large scales. I can contribute to help address this familiar challenge by involving myself with this network and the courses SCU offers in sustainable food systems. Additionally, SCU leads by example; their efforts in attaining food sustainability are inspiring to me as a potential student. They purchase locally grown produce and follow the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program for their dining services. Broadening its impact, SCU has made it a goal to become a zero-waste campus aligning with my values of sustainability to aid our environment. A university that shows this much care to attaining sustainable food options and reducing food waste is the perfect place for me to help be the solution.

What the Essay Did Well

This writer did a great job choosing an ethical dilemma to write about that they care about and that uniquely connects to Santa Clara University, which is exactly how you want to respond to a global issues prompt . Based on the anecdote about cooking at the beginning of the essay, it’s clear that food waste is an important ethical issue in the writer’s personal life. They describe working to change their behavior to address the issue after discovering that it was a problem through something they love, cooking! It was smart of the writer to use this as an opportunity to share a hobby that they may not have had the opportunity to include elsewhere on their application. 

The essay is also clearly written and does a great job of providing details about why the writer wants to go to Santa Clara University. The second half of the essay answers the part of the prompt that asks: “How can an SCU education help you prepare for and address this challenge?” This half is written like a “Why This College?” essay, but narrowly focused on the college’s connection to the ethical dilemma discussed in the essay.

In a “Why This College?” essay, it’s important to use specific details. That’s exactly what the writer does here when they mention the Food Recovery Network and SCU’s adherence to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program. Mentioning these programs shows that the student has done their research on Santa Clara University, which goes a long way in showing that they want to be a student there!

Finally, the ethical dilemma that the writer chose is great. This essay shows that an interesting and unique topic doesn’t have to be so specific that the reader has never heard of it; rather, it’s something specific that the reader has a personal connection to and could connect to their interest in attending Santa Clara. 

What Could Be Improved 

One part of this essay that the writer could improve is the ending. They share an ethical issue they care about, why they care about that issue, and what the school is doing to address the issue. Then they end with, “A university that shows this much care to attaining sustainable food options and reducing food waste is the perfect place for me to help be the solution.” This response answers the prompt; however, the writer could have strengthened the ending by connecting SCU’s work back to the writer’s own future and goals. 

An alternate conclusion sentence could mention how the writer plans to use the knowledge that SCU would give them to address food waste. This would allow the writer to remain the focus of the essay, rather than the focus at the end being on SCU’s programs to tackle food waste. Because while this is an essay about the student’s views and ethics, it’s also a chance for the student to share more about themself with the admissions officers. 

Finally, the writer is currently under the word count. While it is okay to be under the word count, the writer could use this space to improve their conclusion. They could mention any ideas that they have for how SCU could better address the problem of food waste. Currently, what the school does well is included, which is great. However, if the writer chose to share their own ideas at the end, then it would help the reader better imagine a few ways that the writer will be a positive addition to the Santa Clara community. 

Prompt 2 – Ethical Dilemma (Healthcare in Latin America)

“Coca-cola da más vida”, but does it really? In towns like San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico coca-cola can be found easier, at relative cost, and safer to drink than water leading to high levels of consumption. As imagined, such consumption has caused devastating health effects throughout Chiapas. In these under-resourced communities, the diabetes crisis has become a leading cause of death and its treatment has brought upon ethical dilemmas. Clinicians in these areas are forced to make life-saving or fatal decisions with minimal resources or support. With having family members in Mexico, the thought of losing them due to simple issues like dosage amounts is truly heartbreaking. Santa Clara’s fast-paced quarter system will allow me to pursue a major in bioengineering, biomolecular track, and a minor in Spanish and public health. Classes like Evidence-Based Public Health, Engineering World Health, and Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design I & II, will provide me with a strong foundation for truly understanding the issues behind our world’s leading health problems and effectively advocating and helping to engineer new medicines in the US and Latin America. Also, the university’s strong focus on global engagement will allow me to go on cultural immersions to widen my perspective and engage in international internships to deepen my understanding of healthcare and medical research around the globe. Besides the amount of opportunity available for me overseas, the Santa Clara campus is oozing with its own. I can become involved with on-campus bioengineering research on topics such as protein engineering or utilize Handshake and the Career Center to apply for internships in Silicon Valley. No matter where my experiences at Santa Clara take me, I will apply the knowledge I received to create a world where we are one step closer to eliminating the medical disparities between us.

This “global issues” essay starts off with a strong hook, which immediately draws us in to the student’s topic. The level of detail, such as the specific entry point of San Cristóbal de las Casas and its unique problems, are both effective ways to make this essay shine out of a sea of other responses, right from the very beginning. Additionally, the author’s distinctive approach to answering the question helps present them as a passionate and sophisticated storyteller with deep knowledge and care for this issue.

The student also does a great job of citing highly specific details throughout their response. For example, naming specific classes that will set this applicant up for success is a great touch that shows this student did their homework on what at Santa Clara would aid them in their journey of solving this issue. They also show an understanding of Santa Clara’s bigger picture values, such as global engagement, which demonstrates that the author can think on both a large and small scale.

While this student does a great job of considering everything from particular classes to studying abroad, they also don’t limit themselves to imagining their life on campus. They also think beyond their college career, when they talk about utilizing Santa Clara’s alumni network and connections to position themselves well for internships and postgrad life. Colleges like to know that you have future plans, and will one day be an alum that they can be proud of. This student shows them that they’re prepared to take full advantage of their Santa Clara education not only on campus, but throughout their life.

The flow of this essay could be improved with the help of an editor or peer reviewer. Some of the sentences are awkward, and there are some grammar errors present. For example, “…will allow me to pursue a major in bioengineering, biomolecular track, and a minor in Spanish and public health” should read “…and minors in Spanish and public health.”

Additionally, in the line “Classes like Evidence-Based Public Health, Engineering World Health, and Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design I & II, will provide me with a strong foundation for truly understanding the issues behind our world’s leading health problems and effectively advocating and helping to engineer…” there should be a “for” after “advocating.”

While these flaws don’t ruin the essay whatsoever, polishing it up would present the student in an even better light, as a student who is not only talented, but also detail-oriented. Finally, also on a structural level, this essay would look cleaner on the page if it were split into at least three paragraphs. Having just one big block of text is a little hard on the eyes, and using multiple paragraphs also makes the presentation of your ideas more organized, as it clearly shows your reader where one point ends and the next one starts.

For example, they could have one paragraph focused on introducing the issue, one on the academic resources at Santa Clara, and one on the university’s value of global engagement. That structure would allow the reader to focus on each point, one at a time, rather than getting all the information dumped on them at once.

Prompt 3 – Why Santa Clara?

When I started my college search, I could only envision myself at a big college 2 hours away from home. Santa Clara University was the school that changed it all. The moment my eyes landed on the site, everything clicked. From the small class sizes that would allow me to engage and form connections with my classmates and professors to the large state of California that is filled with opportunity; it all seemed to attract me. Though it’s a school small in size, the spirit and clubs are large in number. From clubs like Bread Lovers Club to Biomedical Engineering Society, the variety and diversity entices me. There are clubs like Together for Ladies of Color, where I will be an indispensable member who empowers the women around me. Furthermore, weekly Sunday mass will help me strengthen my connection with God and develop a good headspace for the new week so I can work hard and thrive in my classes and outside commitments. Overall, I will be a Bronco that works hard not only for herself but to better the community around her. I am devoted to becoming a Bronco alumnus working to change the world ad majorem dei gloriam.

This prompt is an example of the “Why This College?” prompt, which is best answered by doing some research and providing specific reasons for why the school you’ve chosen is the school for you. This applicant does an excellent job of answering that question, by talking about both academic considerations, like class sizes, and clubs and extracurricular activities, like Bread Lovers Club or attending Mass.

Through the examples provided, we get to know the author a bit more, which is another strength of this essay. Rather than only talking about aspects of Santa Clara that would appeal to anyone, this writer shows her unique interests through her selection of more personal aspects of the school. From this essay, we learn that the student is a woman of color who also attends church, loves bread, and is passionate about improving herself and her community. This means that the admissions committee isn’t just learning about what she loves about their school; they’re also learning what Santa Clara might gain by admitting her.

One thing that would strengthen this essay is being as specific about the academic draw of Santa Clara as the non-academic side, as that would give us an even clearer sense of the student’s personality. The prime location and small class sizes are attractive aspects of Santa Clara, but they don’t give us much information about the applicant. Almost anyone would be excited about these benefits, so they’re too general for this kind of essay.

In the same vein, these facts are self-evident, in the case of the location, or something that can be found at many other colleges, in the case of the small class sizes. This kind of prompt exists so that you can show off your research skills and deep knowledge of that school. Admissions teams read countless essays that talk about the most common compelling attributes of their school, so instead try to choose elements that will make you stand out as an applicant who is both unique and engaged.

Additionally, this essay could benefit from an anecdote to anchor it. While the image of stepping on campus is powerful, it’s one shared by many applicants who have had the opportunity to tour. Even a sentence or two describing a more personal moment that connects the student to Santa Clara would help illustrate that her future plans are rooted in her current life or values.

For example, after the line “From clubs like Bread Lovers Club to Biomedical Engineering Society, the variety and diversity entices me,” she could say something like “During the pandemic, I went a little overboard with the breadmaking trend, so I designed my own bird feeder so I didn’t have to throw out the bits my family couldn’t finish. Santa Clara is just the place for me to continue making these kinds of quirky connections between my interests.”

This addition would put the writer over the word count, so she would have to make cuts elsewhere in the essay. That’s okay, though, as it’s better to include fewer details about the school, but take the time to explain your personal connection to them, then to just pack in as much as possible.

If you don’t have an anecdote that fits with the aspects of Santa Clara that appeal to you, consider imagining what your future on campus would look like and describing that. Solid images or ideas (for example, imagining some of the hymns you might sing in Mass), versus stated commitments, help admissions teams better picture you on campus, and create a more dynamic essay structure, even within the limited space allowed for these short supplements.

Finally, like in the previous essay, the student’s writing would flow more smoothly with a paragraph break or two. For example, starting a new paragraph with “Though it’s a school small in size” would make sense, as here, the writer is pivoting from talking about her initial draw to Santa Clara, to more specific features of the school that are intriguing to her.

Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay 

Do you want feedback on your Columbia University essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

multicultural company essay

The Philippine economy in 2024: Stronger for longer?

The Philippines ended 2023 on a high note, being the fastest growing economy across Southeast Asia with a growth rate of 5.6 percent—just shy of the government's target of 6.0 to 7.0 percent. 1 “National accounts,” Philippine Statistics Authority, January 31, 2024; "Philippine economic updates,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, November 16, 2023. Should projections hold, the Philippines is expected to, once again, show significant growth in 2024, demonstrating its resilience despite various global economic pressures (Exhibit 1). 2 “Economic forecast 2024,” International Monetary Fund, November 1, 2023; McKinsey analysis.

The growth in the Philippine economy in 2023 was driven by a resumption in commercial activities, public infrastructure spending, and growth in digital financial services. Most sectors grew, with transportation and storage (13 percent), construction (9 percent), and financial services (9 percent), performing the best (Exhibit 2). 3 “National accounts,” Philippine Statistics Authority, January 31, 2024. While the country's trade deficit narrowed in 2023, it remains elevated at $52 billion due to slowing global demand and geopolitical uncertainties. 4 “Highlights of the Philippine export and import statistics,” Philippine Statistics Authority, January 28, 2024. Looking ahead to 2024, the current economic forecast for the Philippines projects a GDP growth of between 5 and 6 percent.

Inflation rates are expected to temper between 3.2 and 3.6 percent in 2024 after ending 2023 at 6.0 percent, above the 2.0 to 4.0 percent target range set by the government. 5 “Nomura downgrades Philippine 2024 growth forecast,” Nomura, September 11, 2023; “IMF raises Philippine growth rate forecast,” International Monetary Fund, July 16, 2023.

For the purposes of this article, most of the statistics used for our analysis have come from a common thread of sources. These include the Central Bank of the Philippines (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas); the Department of Energy Philippines; the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP); and the Philippines Statistics Authority.

The state of the Philippine economy across seven major sectors and themes

In the article, we explore the 2024 outlook for seven key sectors and themes, what may affect each of them in the coming year, and what could potentially unlock continued growth.

Financial services

The recovery of the financial services sector appears on track as year-on-year growth rates stabilize. 6 Philippines Statistics Authority, November 2023; McKinsey in partnership with Oxford Economics, November 2023. In 2024, this sector will likely continue to grow, though at a slower pace of about 5 percent.

Financial inclusion and digitalization are contributing to growth in this sector in 2024, even if new challenges emerge. Various factors are expected to impact this sector:

  • Inclusive finance: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas continues to invest in financial inclusion initiatives. For example, basic deposit accounts (BDAs) reached $22 million in 2023 and banking penetration improved, with the proportion of adults with formal bank accounts increasing from 29 percent in 2019 to 56 percent in 2021. 7 “Financial inclusion dashboard: First quarter 2023,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, February 6, 2024.
  • Digital adoption: Digital channels are expected to continue to grow, with data showing that 60 percent of adults who have a mobile phone and internet access have done a digital financial transaction. 8 “Financial inclusion dashboard: First quarter 2023,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, February 6, 2024. Businesses in this sector, however, will need to remain vigilant in navigating cybersecurity and fraud risks.
  • Unsecured lending growth: Growth in unsecured lending is expected to continue, but at a slower pace than the past two to three years. For example, unsecured retail lending for the banking system alone grew by 27 percent annually from 2020 to 2022. 9 “Loan accounts: As of first quarter 2023,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, February 6, 2024; "Global banking pools,” McKinsey, November 2023. Businesses in this field are, however, expected to recalibrate their risk profiling models as segments with high nonperforming loans emerge.
  • High interest rates: Key interest rates are expected to decline in the second half of 2024, creating more accommodating borrowing conditions that could boost wholesale and corporate loans.

Supportive frameworks have a pivotal role to play in unlocking growth in this sector to meet the ever-increasing demand from the financially underserved. For example, financial literacy programs and easier-to-access accounts—such as BDAs—are some measures that can help widen market access to financial services. Continued efforts are being made to build an open finance framework that could serve the needs of the unbanked population, as well as a unified credit scoring mechanism to increase the ability of historically under-financed segments, such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to access formal credit. 10 “BSP launches credit scoring model,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, April 26, 2023.

Energy and Power

The outlook for the energy sector seems positive, with the potential to grow by 7 percent in 2024 as the country focuses on renewable energy generation. 11 McKinsey analysis based on input from industry experts. Currently, stakeholders are focused on increasing energy security, particularly on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet power plants’ requirements as production in one of the country’s main sources of natural gas, the Malampaya gas field, declines. 12 Myrna M. Velasco, “Malampaya gas field prod’n declines steeply in 2021,” Manila Bulletin , July 9, 2022. High global inflation and the fact that the Philippines is a net fuel importer are impacting electricity prices and the build-out of planned renewable energy projects. Recent regulatory moves to remove foreign ownership limits on exploration, development, and utilization of renewable energy resources could possibly accelerate growth in the country’s energy and power sector. 13 “RA 11659,” Department of Energy Philippines, June 8, 2023.

Gas, renewables, and transmission are potential growth drivers for the sector. Upgrading power grids so that they become more flexible and better able to cope with the intermittent electricity supply that comes with renewables will be critical as the sector pivots toward renewable energy. A recent coal moratorium may position natural gas as a transition fuel—this could stimulate exploration and production investments for new, indigenous natural gas fields, gas pipeline infrastructure, and LNG import terminal projects. 14 Philippine energy plan 2020–2040, Department of Energy Philippines, June 10, 2022; Power development plan 2020–2040 , Department of Energy Philippines, 2021. The increasing momentum of green energy auctions could facilitate the development of renewables at scale, as the country targets 35 percent share of renewables by 2030. 15 Power development plan 2020–2040 , 2022.

Growth in the healthcare industry may slow to 2.8 percent in 2024, while pharmaceuticals manufacturing is expected to rebound with 5.2 percent growth in 2024. 16 McKinsey analysis in partnership with Oxford Economics.

Healthcare demand could grow, although the quality of care may be strained as the health worker shortage is projected to increase over the next five years. 17 McKinsey analysis. The supply-and-demand gap in nursing alone is forecast to reach a shortage of approximately 90,000 nurses by 2028. 18 McKinsey analysis. Another compounding factor straining healthcare is the higher than anticipated benefit utilization and rising healthcare costs, which, while helping to meet people's healthcare budgets, may continue to drive down profitability for health insurers.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are feeling varying effects of people becoming increasingly health conscious. Consumers are using more over the counter (OTC) medication and placing more beneficial value on organic health products, such as vitamins and supplements made from natural ingredients, which could impact demand for prescription drugs. 19 “Consumer health in the Philippines 2023,” Euromonitor, October 2023.

Businesses operating in this field may end up benefiting from universal healthcare policies. If initiatives are implemented that integrate healthcare systems, rationalize copayments, attract and retain talent, and incentivize investments, they could potentially help to strengthen healthcare provision and quality.

Businesses may also need to navigate an increasingly complex landscape of diverse health needs, digitization, and price controls. Digital and data transformations are being seen to facilitate improvements in healthcare delivery and access, with leading digital health apps getting more than one million downloads. 20 Google Play Store, September 27, 2023. Digitization may create an opportunity to develop healthcare ecosystems that unify touchpoints along the patient journey and provide offline-to-online care, as well as potentially realizing cost efficiencies.

Consumer and retail

Growth in the retail and wholesale trade and consumer goods sectors is projected to remain stable in 2024, at 4 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

Inflation, however, continues to put consumers under pressure. While inflation rates may fall—predicted to reach 4 percent in 2024—commodity prices may still remain elevated in the near term, a top concern for Filipinos. 21 “IMF raises Philippine growth forecast,” July 26, 2023; “Nomura downgrades Philippines 2024 growth forecast,” September 11, 2023. In response to challenging economic conditions, 92 percent of consumers have changed their shopping behaviors, and approximately 50 percent indicate that they are switching brands or retail providers in seek of promotions and better prices. 22 “Philippines consumer pulse survey, 2023,” McKinsey, November 2023.

Online shopping has become entrenched in Filipino consumers, as they find that they get access to a wider range of products, can compare prices more easily, and can shop with more convenience. For example, a McKinsey Philippines consumer sentiment survey in 2023 found that 80 percent of respondents, on average, use online and omnichannel to purchase footwear, toys, baby supplies, apparel, and accessories. To capture the opportunity that this shift in Filipino consumer preferences brings and to unlock growth in this sector, retail organizations could turn to omnichannel strategies to seamlessly integrate online and offline channels. Businesses may need to explore investments that increase resilience across the supply chain, alongside researching and developing new products that serve emerging consumer preferences, such as that for natural ingredients and sustainable sources.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is a key contributor to the Philippine economy, contributing approximately 19 percent of GDP in 2022, employing about 7 percent of the country’s labor force, and growing in line with GDP at approximately 6 percent between 2023 and 2024. 23 McKinsey analysis based on input from industry experts.

Some changes could be seen in 2024 that might affect the sector moving forward. The focus toward building resilient supply chains and increasing self-sufficiency is growing. The Philippines also is likely to benefit from increasing regional trade, as well as the emerging trend of nearshoring or onshoring as countries seek to make their supply chains more resilient. With semiconductors driving approximately 45 percent of Philippine exports, the transfer of knowledge and technology, as well as the development of STEM capabilities, could help attract investments into the sector and increase the relevance of the country as a manufacturing hub. 24 McKinsey analysis based on input from industry experts.

To secure growth, public and private sector support could bolster investments in R&D and upskill the labor force. In addition, strategies to attract investment may be integral to the further development of supply chain infrastructure and manufacturing bases. Government programs to enable digital transformation and R&D, along with a strategic approach to upskilling the labor force, could help boost industry innovation in line with Industry 4.0 demand. 25 Industry 4.0 is also referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Priority products to which manufacturing industries could pivot include more complex, higher value chain electronic components in the semiconductor segment; generic OTC drugs and nature-based pharmaceuticals in the pharmaceutical sector; and, for green industries, products such as EVs, batteries, solar panels, and biomass production.

Information technology business process outsourcing

The information technology business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) sector is on track to reach its long-term targets, with $38 billion in forecast revenues in 2024. 26 Khriscielle Yalao, “WHF flexibility key to achieving growth targets—IBPAP,” Manila Bulletin , January 23, 2024. Emerging innovations in service delivery and work models are being observed, which could drive further growth in the sector.

The industry continues to outperform headcount and revenue targets, shaping its position as a country leader for employment and services. 27 McKinsey analysis based in input from industry experts. Demand from global companies for offshoring is expected to increase, due to cost containment strategies and preference for Philippine IT-BPO providers. New work setups continue to emerge, ranging from remote-first to office-first, which could translate to potential net benefits. These include a 10 to 30 percent increase in employee retention; a three- to four-hour reduction in commute times; an increase in enabled talent of 350,000; and a potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 1.4 to 1.5 million tons of CO 2 per year. 28 McKinsey analysis based in input from industry experts. It is becoming increasingly more important that the IT-BPO sector adapts to new technologies as businesses begin to harness automation and generative AI (gen AI) to unlock productivity.

Talent and technology are clear areas where growth in this sector can be unlocked. The growing complexity of offshoring requirements necessitates building a proper talent hub to help bridge employee gaps and better match local talent to employers’ needs. Businesses in the industry could explore developing facilities and digital infrastructure to enable industry expansion outside the metros, especially in future “digital cities” nationwide. Introducing new service areas could capture latent demand from existing clients with evolving needs as well as unserved clients. BPO centers could explore the potential of offering higher-value services by cultivating technology-focused capabilities, such as using gen AI to unlock revenue, deliver sales excellence, and reduce general administrative costs.

Sustainability

The Philippines is considered to be the fourth most vulnerable country to climate change in the world as, due to its geographic location, the country has a higher risk of exposure to natural disasters, such as rising sea levels. 29 “The Philippines has been ranked the fourth most vulnerable country to climate change,” Global Climate Risk Index, January 2021. Approximately $3.2 billion, on average, in economic loss could occur annually because of natural disasters over the next five decades, translating to up to 7 to 8 percent of the country’s nominal GDP. 30 “The Philippines has been ranked the fourth most vulnerable country to climate change,” Global Climate Risk Index, January 2021.

The Philippines could capitalize on five green growth opportunities to operate in global value chains and catalyze growth for the nation:

  • Renewable energy: The country could aim to generate 50 percent of its energy from renewables by 2040, building on its high renewable energy potential and the declining cost of producing renewable energy.
  • Solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing: More than a twofold increase in annual output from 2023 to 2030 could be achieved, enabled by lower production costs.
  • Battery production: The Philippines could aim for a $1.5 billion domestic market by 2030, capitalizing on its vast nickel reserves (the second largest globally). 31 “MineSpans,” McKinsey, November 2023.
  • Electric mobility: Electric vehicles could account for 15 percent of the country’s vehicle sales by 2030 (from less than 1 percent currently), driven by incentives, local distribution, and charging infrastructure. 32 McKinsey analysis based on input from industry experts.
  • Nature-based solutions: The country’s largely untapped total abatement potential could reach up to 200 to 300 metric tons of CO 2 , enabled by its biodiversity and strong demand.

The Philippine economy: Three scenarios for growth

Having grown faster than other economies in Southeast Asia in 2023 to end the year with 5.6 percent growth, the Philippines can expect a similarly healthy growth outlook for 2024. Based on our analysis, there are three potential scenarios for the country’s growth. 33 McKinsey analysis in partnership with Oxford Economics.

Slower growth: The first scenario projects GDP growth of 4.8 percent if there are challenging conditions—such as declining trade and accelerated inflation—which could keep key policy rates high at about 6.5 percent and dampen private consumption, leading to slower long-term growth.

Soft landing: The second scenario projects GDP growth of 5.2 percent if inflation moderates and global conditions turn out to be largely favorable due to a stable investment environment and regional trade demand.

Accelerated growth: In the third scenario, GDP growth is projected to reach 6.1 percent if inflation slows and public policies accommodate aspects such as loosening key policy rates and offering incentive programs to boost productivity.

Focusing on factors that could unlock growth in its seven critical sectors and themes, while adapting to the macro-economic scenario that plays out, would allow the Philippines to materialize its growth potential in 2024 and take steps towards achieving longer-term, sustainable economic growth.

Jon Canto is a partner in McKinsey’s Manila office, where Frauke Renz is an associate partner, and Vicah Villanueva is a consultant.

The authors wish to thank Charlene Chua, Charlie del Rosario, Ryan delos Reyes, Debadrita Dhara, Evelyn C. Fong, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, Frances Lee, Aaron Ong, and Liane Tan for their contributions to this article.

Explore a career with us

Related articles.

Philippines Growth Dialogues

The Philippines Growth Dialogues

plane flying over Philippines - line drawing

What does 2023 hold for the Philippines’ economy?

Close-up of woman's hand typing on a smartphone in the city in front of cars at beautiful sunset

On the verge of a digital banking revolution in the Philippines

We've detected unusual activity from your computer network

To continue, please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot.

Why did this happen?

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy .

For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below.

IMAGES

  1. The Multicultural Affects of Communication in a Large Company Essay

    multicultural company essay

  2. Реферат: Cultural Diversity Essay Research Paper Cultural Diversity

    multicultural company essay

  3. Managing in a Multicultural Context

    multicultural company essay

  4. Principles of Intercultural Communication Free Essay Example

    multicultural company essay

  5. Multicultural Education versus the Common Culture

    multicultural company essay

  6. The Multicultural Marketing Essay Example

    multicultural company essay

VIDEO

  1. Limbus Company's Most HATED Character

  2. An Essay on Multicultural Cinema

  3. How Multiculturalism is Fracturing America

  4. McCormick & Company Global Diversity Inclusion

  5. ONLINE DEMO-TEACHING : UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS: SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

  6. HR Policies at a Multicultural Business Setup Company in the UAE

COMMENTS

  1. Cultural Competence: Working in a Multicultural Company

    It is through the skill of cultural competence that teams learn to better communicate and interact with each other, regardless of their varying beliefs and cultures. Working in a multicultural company can be a challenge, but overcoming those hurdles with training can benefit not only the company's productivity rates but also improve mental ...

  2. PDF MANAGEMENT AND MULTICULTURALISM IN COMPANIES

    cultural aspects are not always noticeable; usually, they are unknown by the company. In the same way, communication issues, as well as racism, imply challenge. The fifth part shows that despite its challenges, multiculturalism is necessary and beneficial for a company. It is the key of growth and development.

  3. Cultural Diversity Essay: Topics, Tips, & Example

    💡 51 Cultural Diversity Essay Topics. Making a cultural diversity essay topic is easy and complicated at the same time. The vastness of the issue gives a lot of possible options. But choosing the option you want can be a bit tricky. Here are some ideas for a possible topic. Cultural diversity now and in the medieval ages.

  4. Communicating in a Multicultural Workplace Essay (Critical Writing)

    Communicating in a Multicultural Workplace is a matter of great importance. With a flow of time companies more and more tried to implement the most optimal decisions for making their global internal communication productive. Some of the points concerned with this idea presuppose the need for making communication more comprehensive and effective ...

  5. The Benefits Of Being A Culturally Diverse Company

    Building a multicultural company is an ongoing process that requires dedication and a commitment to continuous improvement. By following the best practices above, you can create an environment ...

  6. Building Cross-Cultural Relationships in a Global Workplace

    Summary. Most of us never consider how culture shapes our expectations and assumptions about relationship building. But research shows that our cultural upbringing influences how we form and ...

  7. Research: How Cultural Differences Can Impact Global Teams

    Summary. Diversity can be both a benefit and a challenge to virtual teams, especially those which are global. The authors unpack their recent research on how diversity works in remote teams ...

  8. How to Write a Diversity Essay

    Keep the focus on you. Tell a story about how your background, identity, or experience has impacted you. While you can briefly mention another person's experience to provide context, be sure to keep the essay focused on you. Admissions officers are mostly interested in learning about your lived experience, not anyone else's.

  9. What Makes You "Multicultural"

    Multicultural individuals — such as Chinese-Canadians, Turkish-Germans, or Arab-Americans — commonly think, perceive, behave, and respond to global workplace issues in more complex ways than ...

  10. What is diversity, equity, and inclusion?

    Quite simply, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is used to describe three values that many organizations today strive to embody to help meet the needs of people from all walks of life. While concepts such as biodiversity are important offshoots of the core idea of diversity, this article focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion in ...

  11. The Importance of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

    3. Cultural diversity can help you to retain talent Aside from attracting a broader talent pool in the first place, cultural diversity is the key to building the ideologies of respect between company and employee, and cooperation. In turn, this makes you a more attractive proposition to valuable candidates making you stand out in the ...

  12. The Multicultural Workplace Essay Example [Free]

    According to Rockstuhl et al. (2012), this may be a severe problem for multicultural organisations due to the lack of alignment across employees' personal and professional objectives, meaning that Russian employees, for example, could majorly disprove a decision made by an American manager. This can be further extended by the idea that the ...

  13. The Diversity Of The Multicultural Company, And Australia ...

    This essay has discussed what the challenge of working are in the multicultural company, and Australia and China are the specific countries to be focused on. This essay concluded various factors that may affect workplace behaviour in a cross-cultural environment such as diversity, multiculturalism, ethnocentrism, stereotypes, cultural ...

  14. Multicultural companies: advantages and challenges

    New technologies allow companies to have professionals from different parts of the world creating multicultural companies with new challenges and advantages. According to a study by Boston Consulting Group (The Mix That Matters: Innovation Through Diversity), multicultural companies earn 19% more revenue than others.

  15. Describe your experience working in a multicultural environment

    7 sample answers to "Describe your experience working in a multicultural environment" interview question. I worked in a multicultural team of seven people in my last corporate job. The team was as diverse as you can imagine, at least in terms of race, religion, and gender of my colleagues. But we were all the same age group, from twenty ...

  16. Multiculturalism: Positive Impact

    The truth will be realized in this manner and the less stubborn prejudiced people are, the easier and more harmonious this merging will be. This essay, "Multiculturalism: Positive Impact" is published exclusively on IvyPanda's free essay examples database. You can use it for research and reference purposes to write your own paper.

  17. Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay

    Take a look at this sample diversity essay, and pay attention to how the writer underscores their appreciation for and experience with diversity. Diversity essay example. When I was starting 11th grade, my dad, an agricultural scientist, was assigned to a 3-month research project in a farm village in Niigata (northwest Honshu in Japan). Rather ...

  18. Multiculturalism Essay

    October 18, 2021 by Prasanna. Multiculturalism Essay: The term multiculturalism refers to the cohabitation of different ethnic, racial, religious and language groups. In any culture, there are always differences in social backgrounds, religious affiliations, ethnicities, and socioeconomic factors. These differences are what make a culture unique.

  19. 6 Diversity College Essay Examples

    How to Write the Diversity Essay After the End of Affirmative Action. Essay #1: Jewish Identity. Essay #2: Being Bangladeshi-American. Essay #3: Marvel vs DC. Essay #4: Leadership as a First-Gen American. Essay #5: Protecting the Earth. Essay #6: Music and Accents. Where to Get Your Diversity Essays Edited.

  20. Uber, Citi Among US Companies Dropping 'Anti-Racist' Tag With DEI

    Uber and Citi Cut 'Anti-Racist' From Corporate Vocabulary Following DEI Backlash. More than a dozen US companies changed DEI-related language. 'Mandatory allyship,' 'unconscious-bias ...

  21. The Colorblind Campaign to Undo Civil Rights Progress

    Diversity matters in a diverse society, and American democracy by definition must push for the inclusion of all marginalized people. But remedies for injustice also need to be specific to the harm.

  22. America Has No Official Language. Instead It Has Hundreds

    Now Donald Trump is warning about this linguistic diversity, arguing that New York's classrooms are overwhelmed by foreign students who speak obscure languages. "They have languages that ...

  23. How to Write the Santa Clara University Essay 2023-2024

    In concluding your essay, make sure to reflect on how this experience, trait, or identity has shaped who you are. Remember to show, not tell, and try to avoid the generic or cliche, like saying "X experience has made me stronger as a person.". Share specific examples or details about how you've developed or grown as a person.

  24. International and Multicultural Company Essay

    International and Multicultural Company Essay. Identify the jobs faced by Thomson, utilizing the undermentioned headers: Human Resources Operations Selling. Thomson is an international and multicultural company and it has many subdivisions in more than 500 states in the universe and besides % 80 of its staff is working outside the Norse states ...

  25. 3 Superb Santa Clara University Essay Examples

    What the Essay Did Well This writer did a great job choosing an ethical dilemma to write about that they care about and that uniquely connects to Santa Clara University, which is exactly how you want to respond to a global issues prompt.Based on the anecdote about cooking at the beginning of the essay, it's clear that food waste is an important ethical issue in the writer's personal life.

  26. The Philippine economy in 2024

    The Philippines ended 2023 on a high note, being the fastest growing economy across Southeast Asia with a growth rate of 5.6 percent—just shy of the government's target of 6.0 to 7.0 percent. 1 "National accounts," Philippine Statistics Authority, January 31, 2024; "Philippine economic updates," Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, November 16, 2023. ...

  27. How to Write the Santa Clara University Supplemental Essays: Examples

    One possible approach: Think of this as a quick origin story. Step #1: Imagine a mini-movie of the moments that led you to your interest and create a simple, bullet-point outline. Step #2: Put your moments (aka the "scenes" of your mini-movie) in chronological order, as it'll help you see how your interests developed.

  28. Supreme Court Bump Stock Hearing Shows Justices Divorced From Reality

    On Bump Stocks, the Supreme Court Is Divorced From Reality. It's bad enough when textualism undermines sensible laws. But it's truly horrendous when it undermines public safety and empowers ...

  29. How to Write the Santa Clara Supplement 2023-2024

    Reach out here. Santa Clara University is a private, mid-sized Jesuit university in, you guessed it, Santa Clara, CA, aka Silicon Valley. SCU is best known for its business and engineering programs. They have extended their test-optional policy through 2024, and in previous years, only around 41% of admitted students submitted test scores.

  30. Australia to Tie Company Gender Targets to Government Contracts

    March 6, 2024 at 9:44 PM PST. Listen. 2:01. Australia plans to set tough gender targets for big businesses that want to win government contracts, in the latest moves to address inequality in the ...