Race As A Social Construct Essay

According to the Cambridge dictionary, race is defined as “any group into which humans can be divided according to their shared physical or genetic characteristics.” It is important to know that society focuses on physical characteristics rather than the genetic makeup of these characteristics; for this reason, race exists indeed as a social construct. The impact of social construction of race can be felt in different ways including but not limited to housing, educational experiences and outcomes, employment, income, health and social relationships. It is important to note that education is also one of the many factors that are negatively affected by this construct. Apart from worrying about social relationships and inequalities, one also has to worry about the quality of education one is receiving based on the environment in which they live which is usually based on race and financial stability. In the article, Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education by Linda Darling-Hammond, she explained that “…educational outcomes for minority children are much more a function of their unequal access to key educational resources, including skilled teachers and quality curriculum, than they are a function of
The educational systems is proof of this problem. Top performing schools are often allocated more money and resources. Suburban and urban sectors of the education system are radically different due to many reasons; one of which is resource allocation. Funds available are often awarded to top performing schools leaving many low performing school, usually located in the urban areas, to suffer. Even when educational laws are passed to help reduce and possibly eradicate these problems, they often create an inequality: due to overall low performance and impartial favors over one district or