Do you have much diversity within your friendship group?

[FiloPasty]

Just wondering really, I’m in a friendship group of 12 of us that started at a nursery Book club, we’re all now at a variety of mostly independent schools but some state schools.
Overall despite different upbringings we are pretty well matched and I wondered if this caused different issues elsewhere

Close friends, not really. Wider acquaintances (from past jobs, clubs, hobbies, volunteering etc) definitely.

I have to say this is a fascinating read.
It seems that as long as a group has basically one thing in common (LGBT, geographic or socio economic background, religion etc) then other differences between the people matter less.
I’m simplifying but it’s interesting.

Close friends no, as they're friends from school (catholic grammar) and there was zero diversity. We're all white, professional women. In my wider circle though, uni friends and work friends then yes there is diversity.

I have a small friendship group of about six of us from school days, we are all pretty similar, one is gay. I had another gay friend but she died a few months ago sadly.
Despite living in a town where almost 50% of the population are of asian culture, I don't have any Asian friends, except casual aquantainces.

truly diverse in all areas I think is very rare, a group might be ethnically diverse but not politically or religious beliefs or socio -economically or educationally or geographically or in terms of sexuality diverse but to be diverse in even most of these areas would be unusual to be diverse in 2 or 3 of these maybe not so much
my acquaintances are more diverse than my 4-5 closest friends

my wider friendship group is more diverse but my inner circle of friends less so. Most of us are white upper working class and lower middle class women, mostly neurodivergent women who are a bit hippyish and would have been executed as witches or sent to an asylum in times gone by for various reasons

Depends what you mean by diversity

It depends what you mean by diverse. I could say most of my friends are middle class white women or I could say they are a mix of autistic and NT, state educated and grammar, antipodean and UK, uni and non-uni trained. My closest friendship group has two academics, one professional artist and one lawyer.

All my friends are white, largely middle class

A few English people, but mostly Scots, male and female, gay and straight

Ethnic diversity is kind of yes and no - to a certain extent but it's within a few groups, more or less. Probably less so than it used to be as I live in a less ethnically diverse area now.

Educationally and class wise - yeah, it's reasonably diverse. I've picked up friendships across those kinds of lines over the years in different settings where I've worked.

Political/ideological - yes, somewhat, though in recent years I've found it harder to be close to people who are of certain views, because some topics have become so fraught. So maybe less so than it used to be?

Religious - Yeah, there is a lot of religious diversity in my friend group.

My friends are very diverse in many respects.

I think it is very dependent on where you live, and whether you are in a city or a village.

My small friendship group is made up of white middle class women. Well educated, mostly SHAM, as husbands mostly in top jobs, many working away a lot. So no social, economic or racial diversity.

However, we are a mix of UK, Italian, Italian American, German, Slovak and Polish, and funnily enough mostly nominally Catholic. So, we are diverse in country, but with very similar European upbringings. Our mothers all seem to be the same type!!

@Ozgirl75

I have to say this is a fascinating read. It seems that as long as a group has basically one thing in common (LGBT, geographic or socio economic background, religion etc) then other differences between the people matter less. I’m simplifying but it’s interesting.

Yeah, when I think of my friendship groups they are: people I went to university with Same age siblings and cousins people I was in the military with People from my church

There are a few odd ones that came along elsewhere but those are the main ones. As groups they are quite different and two are much more varied in terms of background than the others.

Lot of my friends are immigrants like me. Or mums from my DC's schools. Or people who work/worked at the same place as me.
But I wouldn't necessarily say it's a diverse group of people.

No. Group of friends. All welsh, white.

My closest friends are white MC women, some different nationalities but that isn't diversity really. Also all in or want to be in arts or caring professions. Some diversity in sexuality.

I have had an overwhelmingly female life in the sense that I went to a girls school, studied subjects and worked in fields that are majority female. It just turned out that way.

Class-wise, in my teens and early 20s I was part of a working class social group through work and hobby. Wish I had more of that mix now, for different perspectives.

My family is one area where I experience diversity as have mixed race half siblings who are also not middle class professionals.

Hmmm not really.

My main friendship group stems from catholic grammar / private schools so we all have largely middle class jobs and are white (and technically catholic but very few of us are practicing).

Work wise - pretty middle class and white (accountancy firm) in the North West.

I have to say my 6 yo would have a much better answer to this! White English, best friend, a girl, is Indian (moved to England three years ago) and Sikh. The kids in his class that he plays with are a mixture of religions and heritages, more girls than boys. I love our school.

My school friend has the same background as me. I have a younger Russian friend and a few other friends who are white women like me. They are between 7 years younger or older than me. Mostly they are a bit posher than me, they grew up in places like Surrey where as I grew up on a south East London council estate.

@DillDanding

All of my friends are white, straight and largely middle class.

I’d love a diverse group, but it just hasn’t happened.

I belong to a running club and most of my friends come via that. It really is diverse. My closest friends are a care worker, teacher, surgeon, company director who does something technical I don't understand, a car mechanic, a cleaner and an NHS clerical worker.

@CrinklyCraggy

I belong to a running club and most of my friends come via that. It really is diverse. My closest friends are a care worker, teacher, surgeon, company director who does something technical I don't understand, a car mechanic, a cleaner and an NHS clerical worker.

Actually though all but one are from white working class backgrounds, even if they've "moved up" since then. I've never realised that before.

Nope All white, middle class, mix of working professionals (bankers, lawyers) and SAHMs. Not all British though, a few Americans, a few Europeans.

My bridesmaids were:
White northern English - grew up middle class
Moroccan - grew up in London in poverty/ Muslim
Chinese - grew up near me middle class
White London - grew up wealthy in SW1 but down to earth

I am mixed race grew up in poverty

Very ethnically diverse school friendships and I still have some of those friends. The friends I’ve made in the last 20 years are all white but a mix of nationalities.