Rural diversity
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Rural diversity refers to the presence of a diverse population of people in a low-density area outside of a city. While the term "rural" is contextual, it generally refers to a relatively low
population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
, a land-based economy (particularly agricultural), and a distinct regional identity. Some researchers have defined rurality as existing on a continuum. A report estimates that in 2020, 43.85% of the world's population was living in rural areas. However, the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
predicts that this number will shrink in the coming years; projecting that 68% of the worlds population will live in urban areas by 2050. Rural areas may lack diversity in
demographics Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as ed ...
like religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental health, socioeconomic status, physical ability, or other socially significant identifiers. Diversity in a rural context is different from
urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...
diversity in that the underrepresented populations of those of the identities listed above are usually numerically smaller than might be found in cities. However, some researchers have suggested that trends indicate the distinction between urban and rural diversity, in terms of community ethnoracial composition, has become less clear. The small size of many rural communities still means that many of these groups tend to be relatively invisible or go unnoticed, oftentimes to avoid drawing attention to themselves as a defense to avoid rejection by the majority. For example, although almost 20% of the United States' rural population is
non-white The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...
, and a similar proportion of the nation’s
LGBTQ+ ' is an Acronym, initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term for Sexuality and gende ...
people also live in rural areas, rural areas are often depicted as completely
heterosexual Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" ...
and
white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
. This lack of visibility can result in a deficiency of resources for marginalized populations in rural areas, inadequate policies that fail to take the experiences of the underrepresented populations into account, and a general misunderstanding of rural populations.


Academic research

There has been a renewed interest in rural diversity. Research on the subject tends to focus on highlighting previously ignored non-white rural communities and formerly all-white regions that are now diversifying due to
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
immigration.


U.S. Department of Agriculture

The 2006 U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service studied rural populations across America. This study displayed the increasing racial and ethnic diversity in rural America. This study displayed the increasing immigration and Hispanic population in non-metro areas across America. This study also revealed the poverty distribution in non-metro areas across races and ethnicities in 2006.


Pew Research Center

The 2018 study titled “What Unites and Divides Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities” researched by the Pew Research Center examines demographic trends across America, categorized as either suburban, urban, or rural. When regarding racial and ethnic rural diversity, this study reveals, through surveying, how rural
counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse at a significantly slower pace than suburban and urban counties.


Center For American Progress

A study titled "Redefining Rural America" was published in 2019 by the Center For American Progress. It is authored by
Olugbenga Ajilore Olugbenga "Gbenga" Ajilore ( ) is an American economist who is a senior advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture. Prior to his current role, he was a senior economist at the ...
and Zoe Willingham. The study investigated industrial diversity in rural areas. Moreover, it investigated challenges faced by minorities in rural areas, such as people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ people and disabled people. The study concluded that rural America is more actually economically diverse than perceived.


MDRC

A study was published by MDRC in 2020 about College Access Strategies in Rural Communities of Color. It was authored by Alyssa Ratledge. It investigated educational challenges unique to Rural communities such as black, Latino and native American. The paper presented strategies to help increase diversity amongst rural colleges.


In the United States

Rural parts of the United States encompass 97% of the US landmass and nearly 20% of its population. Every type of diversity that exists in metropolitan areas also exists in rural areas, however, the way that diversity manifests itself may be different based on local context.


Race and ethnicity

In rural areas in the Southeast, West, and Southwest U.S., there are significant populations of
African-Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
, Hispanic people, and Native Americans. 54% of Native Americans live in rural areas, a much higher percentage of the population than for other racial and ethnic groups. 14% of Black Americans live in rural areas, primarily in the Southeast and especially in the Black Belt states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana. 12% of Hispanic population in the US lives in rural areas, and that number is projected to grow as Hispanic populations increase nationwide. Although rural Hispanic populations have typically been concentrated in the Southwest and West, in the past 20 years Hispanic populations have grown throughout the Midwest and Great Plains.


Ability

Despite the portrayal of rural Americans as primarily able bodied, strong farmers, people in rural America have varying levels of physical ability. At 15.1%, the
disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...
rate in rural America is higher than the country as a whole (11.7%). Compounded with the issue of medical deserts that affect many rural communities, disabled people in rural areas are more likely to receive inadequate care than their peers in urban areas. A lack of public transportation in most rural areas creates an additional barrier for people with disabilities to be integrated into their communities.


Sexuality

About fifteen to twenty percent of LGBTQ+ people in the United States live in rural and urban areas. However, residents of rural areas are less likely to be open about their sexuality due to the discrimination and violent threats they may face. These discriminations and threats are partially due to the public opinion in rural areas not supporting LGBTQ+ individuals. This leads to less nondiscrimination laws and laws that may negatively effect LGBTQ+ individuals.The lack of people who openly identify as LGBQT+ leads to the lack of resources for them throughout the rural communities. In rural southern Appalachia areas, social support from the community is being focused on in response to the lack of support in LGBTQ+ members’ families.


Socioeconomic status

Socioeconomic status has a significant impact on rural communities, according to researchers. Socioeconomic variables are believed to be one of the main contributing factors as to why
mortality rate Mortality rate, or death rate, is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a particular population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time. Mortality rate is typically expressed in units of d ...
s are higher in rural settings. The main causes for this disparity is socioeconomic deprivation, higher rates of
uninsured Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to Hedge ( ...
persons, and a lack of and access to
primary care physician A primary care physician (PCP) is a physician who provides both the first contact for a person with an undiagnosed health concern as well as continuing care of varied medical conditions, not limited by cause, organ system, or diagnosis. The term ...
s. A 2012 study revealed that 16.3 percent of the rural population live in poverty. When looking at the poverty rate of racially diverse populations, it is observed that the rate is nearly doubled compared to white non-hispanics in rural communities. Rural African Americans have the highest poverty rates of almost 34 percent.


Employment

Though rural America is frequently associated with agriculture, not all rural economies depend on farming. Many rely on sectors like
manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...
,
mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...
, and the oil and gas industry. Jobs in the
service industry The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
,
education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
, healthcare, and
construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...
also employ large sections of the rural workforce. The United States Department of Agriculture states that employment in rural America is continuing to grow, but is still below pre-Great Recession numbers.


In media and art


Films

Well-known films about rural communities are often primarily white. The popular film, ''
Brokeback Mountain ''Brokeback Mountain'' is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by ...
'', made in 2005 featuring
Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He ...
and
Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor and music video director. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to ...
, portrays a rural America centered around a white community. This film shows a rural area that is mostly white and heteronormative. The main two characters, played by Ledger and Gyllenhaal have a secret love affair-unable to come out as gay to their community. Another film, '' Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' made in 2017, also features rural America. This film chronicles the murder investigation of a young woman. This film is highly regarded but has been accused of being a “shallow look at rural America, especially in regards to race.” Film portrayals of rural communities often display a homogenous community, contributing to the common perception that rural diversity is non-existent.


Books

The 2016 memoir ''
Hillbilly Elegy ''Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis'' is a bestselling 2016 memoir by future Ohio Senator J. D. Vance about the Appalachian values of his Kentucky family and the social and socioeconomic problems of his hometown of Mi ...
'' is often regarded as a 21st-century portrait of the rural American experience and culture.
J. D. Vance James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman, August 2, 1984) is an American venture capitalist, author, and politician who is a United States senator-elect from Ohio, elected in 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he came to prominence with ...
’s book is centered around the experience of a white boy growing up in rural poverty. This book is well-known as an all-encompassing representation of rural America, despite not offering much information on other, more diverse, rural experiences. In response to this portrayal of rural America
Elizabeth Catte
attempts to diversify this the rural Appalachian narrative in her book ''What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia'' by looking back at the history of the region''.''


Television shows

The 1960s and 1970s sitcom, ''
The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family f ...
,'' depicted a poor, white family from the
Ozark Mountains The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant port ...
that suddenly made a lot of money after finding oil on their land. The family then moved to
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
. This television show played into the classic rural stereotype of a poor, white, and ‘
redneck ''Redneck'' is a derogatory term chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, ' ...
’ family.


Music

American folk music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ''roots music''. Many traditional songs have been sung ...
is often associated with rural areas, particularly Oklahoma, Appalachia, and the Southwest.
Country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
is also often affiliated with rural areas. Country music is more associated with the southern part of the United States than American Folk music is.


Podcasts

Podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
s about rural life are all-encompassing. There are podcasts for many different topics, from health and education to business and politics. Some podcasts that cover these topics are
Rural MattersRural Health Leadership Radio
an
Rural Business
'' Outside of the U.S. there are also podcast about these topics in rural areas. Some of these include
RZN: Rural News
' in rural New Zealand''
Irish Farmers Journal Weekly Podcast
' in rural Ireland'','' and
Country Breakfast
' in rural Australia.


Poetry

Poems about rural life are common, as pastoral poetry has been a common topic. These poems often focus on and are associated with nature, but also focus on rural communities and the poets’ own experience within those communities. There are many rural Native American poets, including
Tommy Pico Tommy Pico (born December 13, 1983) is an indigenous ( Kumeyaay Nation) writer, poet, and podcast host. Early life Pico grew up on the Viejas Reservation of the Viejas Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians, a Kumeyaay tribe near Sa ...
,
Joy Harjo Joy Harjo ( ; born May 9, 1951) is an American poet, musician, playwright, and author. She served as the 23rd United States Poet Laureate, the first Native American to hold that honor. She was also only the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetr ...
, and Layli Long Soldier.


Affrilachia

Affrilachia Affrilachia is a term that focuses on the cultural contributions of African-American artists, writers, and musicians in the Appalachian region of the United States. The term "Affrilachia" is attributed to Kentucky-based writer Frank X Walker, wh ...
n art is a term that encompasses poetry, fiction, music, and film created by communities of African American Appalachians. The term was coined by Kentucky-based poet Frank X Walker. It was created to highlight the experiences of Black Appalachians and broaden the scope of perception around Appalachian communities beyond just White Appalachia.


See also

*
Rural sociology Rural sociology is a field of sociology traditionally associated with the study of social structure and conflict in rural areas. It is an active academic field in much of the world, originating in the United States in the 1910s with close ties ...
*
Rural area In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descr ...
*
Diversity (politics) Diversity as seen in sociology and political studies is the degree of differences in identifying features among the members of a purposefully defined group, such as any group differences in racial or ethnic classifications, age, gender, religi ...
*
Cultural diversity Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to monoculture, the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural evolution. The term "cultural diversity" can also refer to having different c ...


References

{{Reflist Rural society Majority–minority relations