Superstar Mariah Carey, who grew up with an Irish-American mother and a father of African American descent, told the press this week she's happy that her child will grow up in a new world where ethnic diversity is accepted.

The celebrated singer is now expecting her first baby with her husband Nick Cannon and says she's excited about the prospect of motherhood.

In the meantime she says she's thankful that her child won't have to contend with the prejudices she experienced growing up as a bi-racial child.

Carey said that the election of President Barack Obama has helped the country move beyond old stereotypes.

“Having Obama in office and bringing a child into the world at this point is totally different than me feeling like an outcast when I was growing up and not feeling like it was OK to be ethnically diverse, and I can’t believe that we have arrived at this point within society,” she told the press.

“I think it’s a little bit easier now because the world has changed just in terms of identifying yourself. That always felt like a strange thing to me as a child, not looking the same as your own mother of father was a very different thing back then,” she said.