Diverse group of acquaintances improves tolerance
A study by UAntwerp commissioned by Brussels’ equal opportunities minister Bruno De Lille shows that living in a diverse environment doesn’t necessarily lead to a tolerant attitude
Men less tolerant than women
Via the internet questionnaire titled Beyond The Box, researchers examined what people think about equality between men and women and the gay/transgender community. Most of the 5,600 respondents felt involved in the equality of the sexes, but their behaviour was often inconsistent with their views. Youngsters, for example, mostly claim to be open to sexual and gender minorities, but this is not proven in practice.
“The survey shows that we all still have strong, unconscious prejudices that could lead to homophobia, transphobia and sexism,” explained Michel Pasteel, director of the federal Institute for the Equality of Women and Men.
In particularly, older people have problems with the notion of equality, and men are much more likely to be intolerant than women. Nearly 44% of male respondents felt that some people are not equal to others, while this is the opinion of 28% of women. The results of the research can, however, not be generalised to the general population as not all groups are equally represented.
The researchers found that people with a diverse circle of friends or acquaintances behave in a more tolerant manner than those who don’t. According to Brussels state secretary for equal opportunities, Bruno De Lille, this conclusion is important in setting policy in the capital. De Lille ordered the survey himself six months ago.
“Brussels is the most diverse city in Belgium and an ideal environment to educate youngsters to be tolerant citizens,” he declared. “However, living in a hyperdiverse city doesn’t automatically mean that people have hyperdiverse friends. It’s essential, therefore, to invest in education and to improve the dialogue between different communities.”
www.beyondthebox.be
Photo courtesy Gelijke Kansen Brussel
