Diversity includes all the obvious and subtler ways in which individuals differ, including different characteristics, experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds.
It may be divided into:
- primary categories (genetic characteristics that affect a person's self-image and socialization) and
- secondary categories (learned characteristics that a person acquires and modifies throughout life.
Primary categories include age, race, ethnicity, gender, physical abilities and qualities, and sexual orientation. Secondary categories include education, work experience, income, marital status, religious beliefs, geographic location, parental status, and behavioral style.