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I am applying for jobs and certain job postings specifically "welcome applications from" certain groups that "contribute to diversification."

I am in one of these groups that they state, but you have to get to page 4 of my CV or page 2 of my teaching statement to find out.

Why are they especially welcoming these groups? Is there part of their evaluation criteria that considers this diversification? Should I make the committee more aware of my belonging to such a group? If so, how?

[Nota bene: This is a North American job.]

T K
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    In all likelihood, they will not actually care whether you belong to that group (and they might well not be allowed to care). The statement is there to make sure people from underrepresented groups do not avoid applying. – Tobias Kildetoft Oct 31 '17 at 10:05
  • @TobiasKildetoft It is probably the opposite: they are supposed to care ("positive discrimination" is allowed), but in reality they don't. A similar statement seen often is: "In case of equal suitability for the position, people belonging to group X are preferred". Employers put such lines there to indicate how much they "care" about equal opportunities for all. But in reality there is no such thing as "equal suitability" because everybody is different. – Louic Oct 31 '17 at 10:25
  • @louic That seems highly unlikely, as they would have actually written that in the description, instead of just welcoming applicants from minority groups. Also, I have never heard of positive discrimination being considered proper for job applications (unlike college applications). – Tobias Kildetoft Oct 31 '17 at 10:31
  • @TobiasKildetoft Maybe it depends on the field and country. I am talking about STEM fields in Europe. I have often seen the quote I used in job ads; the intention of this quote leaves little room for doubt. – Louic Oct 31 '17 at 10:53
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    My understanding for typical STEM fields in Europe is that positive action / discrimination is not allowed, but this job is in North America where I think the culture may be different. I added an edit in the question. – T K Oct 31 '17 at 10:57
  • Not this again. Vote to close as duplicate. (https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/95011/is-it-considered-normal-to-publish-job-offers-inviting-candidates-to-apply-based)[https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/95011/is-it-considered-normal-to-publish-job-offers-inviting-candidates-to-apply-based] – Elizabeth Henning Oct 31 '17 at 16:18

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