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Synopsis A minority is a sociological group that does not constitute a political dominant voting majority of the total population of a given society. A sociological minority is not necessarily a numerical minority it may include any group that is subnormal with respect to a dominant group in terms of social status, education, employment, wealth and political power. To avoid confusion, some writers prefer the terms “subordinate group” and “dominant group” rather than “minority” and “majority”, respectively.

The term Minority Rights embodies two separate concepts: first, normal individual rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, class, religious, linguistic or sexual minorities and second, collective rights accorded to minority groups. The term may also apply simply to individual rights of anyone who is not part of a majority decision.