Socioeconomic Cliques in the Classroom & Beyond
“Brrrrng” the final bell rings and high school students are dismissed for the day. You pick up your bookbag from your precalculus desk chair and head towards your locker. On the way, you see students gathering with their friends in the halls. You notice, most of these clusters of cliques look a lot like the people around them. Why is this so?
More often than not, friend groups consist of people with similar backgrounds, whether it’s culturally or socioeconomically. This phenomenon largely has to do with commonality and that being around your people allows you to feel a special level of connection through shared experiences and lifestyles. Whether it’s the food you eat when you go home, the language you speak to your parents, or the clothing you wear on celebrations, these shared experiences give these groups topics to relate and speak about. Similar experiences also mean similar struggles, as these struggles often stem from certain prejudices — all the more explaining this behavior. More so, depending on where one falls on the wealth-latter in society also often impacts which friend group people fall into. People of similar economic statuses often have similar life experiences so it’s the same idea as the cultural perspective.
These patterns have persisted since the earliest of times. Reed, in an article titled the Psychology of Attraction asserts, “We also know that anthropologically, we used to feel safe with people who looked like our own tribe.” Additionally, according to the Pew Research Center, “Among adults who are white with no other race in their background, fully 81% say that all or most of their close friends are white. Among single-race blacks, 70% say that all or most of their close friends are black. And among single-race Asians, 54% say all or most of their close friends are Asian.” Clearly, people tend to gravitate towards people of their own race. Although, it’s rarely intentional and often friend groups start off diverse. Eventually, the ones who “stick around” tend to look like the rest of the group.
While clearly prominent in a school environment, this idea also extends to the workforce. Even in corporations, people favor those who look like them, ultimately impacting the makeup of a company or business which alters the diversity of ideas/initiatives within a corporation. If a brand leans towards those who look alike, with similar experiences, unique perspectives cannot be well incorporated and new, innovative solutions are less likely to spur. Despite this being so, workplace diversity is one of the most significant factors of companies nowadays. Today, having people who look different from each other work together in a professional manner is a priority of CEOs worldwide.
Sources
Psychology of attraction
Chapter 5: Race and Social Connections — Friends, Family and Neighborhoods
