Visible minorities in remote areas: a comparative study of Roma in Hungary and Indigenous people in Australia

Abstract

The present study argues that Hungarian Roma and Australian Indigenous are non-immigrant visible minorities which are overrepresented and concentrated in remote areas. Based on this premise, we investigate and compare the general living circumstances and socioeconomic status of these visible minorities. The key hypothesis is that visible minorities living remotely face common social, economic, demographic and political difficulties compared to the dominant majority in developed countries. This hypothesis is examined by analysing and comparing a range of statistical indicators for fertility, health, education, labour market, income and living conditions. We found that, independent from the geographical location and the social context, patterns of social and spatial exclusion are alike across the studied developed nations. The data show there are substantial gaps in fertility, health, education, income, labour market, household internet and car ownership indicators between visible minorities and the majority society. Furthermore, gaps exist between remote living and non-remote people as well. Overall, the disadvantaged position of Roma and Indigenous people can be grasped along three dimensions: spatial remoteness, socioeconomic remoteness and ethnic differentiation.