Question

The term minority group is used to describe any social group that is in the numerical minority of a population, regardless of its social power or status.

a. true
b. false

Answer 1

A minority group is defined as a group of people who experience differential and unequal treatment due to their physical or cultural characteristics. It is not based on numerical minority, but rather the lack of power compared to the dominant group in society.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sociologist Louis Wirth (1945) defined a minority group as "any group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination."

The term minority connotes discrimination, and in its sociological use, subordinate group can be used interchangeably with the term minority group, while the term dominant group is often substituted for the group that represents rulers or is in the majority who can access power and privilege in a given society. These definitions correlate to the concept that the dominant group is that which holds the most power in a given society, while subordinate groups are those who lack power compared to the dominant group.